


Love or Hate (I want you either way)

by baeconandeggs, gabyunnieah



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Fluff, M/M, anti fan au, hate to love i guess, idol pcy, waiter baek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 14:06:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18830209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/gabyunnieah/pseuds/gabyunnieah
Summary: Chanyeol loved having his own privacy, that's why even as an idol, he opted for staying anonymous to the public. Baekhyun is an anti-fan who spends his time bashing Loey on twitter, claiming he's a coward afraid of criticism.Stubborn as ever, Chanyeol is determined to make his hater like him. He wasn't expecting to fall in love, though.





	Love or Hate (I want you either way)

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
>   
> 
> **Author's Note:** This took way longer than I thought it would take, to be honest. But I'm pretty happy with the result, and I really hope I attend the prompter's expectations! I loved writing every little part of this, and I'm sorry if it's not what you had in mind. I want to thank everyone who helped me out with this plot, especially D, who was the greatest help ever. I wouldn't have done it without you. I want to thank the BAE mods as well, since they were so patient and kind to me throughout the process of writing. And, of course, thank you for this amazing prompt. I had plenty of creative freedom, and I really enjoyed it, so thank you very much. I really hope everyone can enjoy this! It's not that angsty, but there is a lot of drama - just a heads up. Have fun :)

** [K-NET] **

** Mysterious idol LOEY is yet to release another EP on late December **

Now, it is not news to us that the song-writer composer that goes by the name of ‘LOEY’ is breaking all the records considered possible this year. His debut single ‘Sugar’ is on top of every single chart since day 1, and now he is back to show us some more! There are great expectations for his new work, called ‘You’, and netizens are going crazy all over the internet. The song is described to be a light ballad, with soft melodies on acoustic guitar and a nice rhythm to enjoy in winter. We will keep you informed with all the incoming revelations about LOEY’s comeback. Look forward to it! 

@baekbyun

OMG have u guys heard about L*EY’s new EP??? Ewwwww

this guy just can’t help embarrassing himself istg 

23 retweets                    538 likes

[Replies +550]

|@heartyjoek

ur right honey i just HATE his guts ugh 

|@loeysbigdick

SHUT THE  F UP U B*TCHY A-HOLE

u don’t even know anything about good music 

|@teddytedd3y

say it louder to the people at the back!!!!

|@henrylovesloey

a n e ways stan TALENT stan LOEY

stream SUGAR now!!! 

|@yourfaultbiatch 

i guess not everyone has taste…

|@loeyshthole

sippin that good old tea, sis...

 

           “Park Chanyeol, I swear if you don’t stop reading those comments...”

Chanyeol looks up from his cell phone only to find his angry manager Oh Sehun standing by the doorstep, holding a cup of coffee and a not so surprisingly unreadable frown. Not once in all those years they worked together could Chanyeol know what was on that mind of his. It is actually frustrating, but what could he even do at this point? 

Chanyeol sighs deeply and puts his phone on the small table right next to him, stretching his legs and suddenly standing up, which doesn’t even get a blink of an eye from Sehun. Tough guy he is. Although Chanyeol can’t read his manager’s face, he has a pretty clear idea of what he is going to say to him. It is not the first time Sehun catches him up on his phone checking feedback from his fans. The problem is mean comments were also there, and Chanyeol couldn’t help but read them. He walks right up to Sehun and takes the coffee cup from his hand. 

“Park Chanyeol.”

“Stop calling me by my full name. I believe we talked about that before, Sehunnie.”

Sehun rolls his eyes. He steps into the small waiting room, where Chanyeol was resting right after a hard day at the recording studio. It has been a long week, and he is really tired from all the composing and writing and singing and playing and...

“You don’t get to tell me what to do. That is  _ my  _ job. And I am telling  _ you _ to quit reading all those mean comments on social media. You know pretty well that shit just makes you feel bad and sulky.”

“They are not all bad comments...” Sehun is still wearing his expressionless face. Chanyeol swings his arms in the air, in a frustrated move to convince him of his words. “I mean, there are some pretty messed up stuff about me when they don’t even know me, but there are actually people standing up for me and—”

“Give me that. Now. You’re not allowed to look at your phone  _ until _ you finish recording the EP. It’s for the best. Besides, all this stress accumulated made you look like a zombie. So, your task for now is to go home and rest.”

“But...”

“I mean it. Or I’ll talk to my superiors about your recent demeanor and they’ll suspend the release of your precious EP.”

“You wouldn’t...”

“Try me.” 

Chanyeol frowns, defeated. There’s not much he can do now, unless obey his peevish manager. He knows best, and Chanyeol reckons that. The tall man grabs his cellphone by the table and gives it to Sehun, who puts it in his front pocket right away. Before getting out of the room, Sehun looks around one last time, as if he is judging the state of Chanyeol’s messy lifestyle– which he probably is, knowing the guy as he has always been–, and then proceeds to make his way out of the waiting room. Chanyeol finally breathes. 

 

Going home is definitely the easiest and best part of his day.

From the very start, Chanyeol had been tenacious about his real looks and name being undercover. He actually loves the attention he is getting from the media nowadays, don’t get him wrong, but he bets that everything that comes along with it would be too much of a burden on a daily basis. He wonders how those other idols could even start a day without agonizing to death– just the thought of having to deal with thousands of fans recognizing him on the streets and interrupting his peaceful routine made him squirm. He really is a homebody, after all. 

Keeping his image a secret from the public for all the three years of his career enabled him to go out during the day without having to wear masks and caps and sunglasses. He is really thankful for his manager and his staff for being so understanding about his wishes. It’s not very easy being an idol and not showing your face on television, so he owes every achievement until now in his career to his colleagues. He wouldn’t be Loey without them. He would only be Park Chanyeol, another ordinary youtuber without real dreams to pursue. 

His way from the recording studio to his house isn’t lengthy, it’d take only around 10 minutes if he could manage to catch the last train, which he could for most of the days. The walk to the station is quite pleasant, since his route allows him to go through the local park. He gets out of work usually at 7 pm and the park is not very crowded then, which only makes everything better. 

But not today. 

No, today Chanyeol is lost in his troubled mind. He doesn’t even catch a glimpse of a big dog being walked by its owner, nor the way the Christmas lights are surrounding the trees and bushes, providing the environment such a beautiful and magical gleam. No, he can’t see any of it. Because he just cannot stop thinking about that username. He’s seen it everywhere on twitter by now, since his fans hate him the most. What was it again? Baekbyun. That’s it. The guy talks about him all the freaking time, and it honestly scares the shit out of Chanyeol. How can someone be so devoted to vilifying an idol like him? Not that he is pretentious or whatever, but Chanyeol would never be involved in anything possibly related to a scandal. He doesn’t even shows his face, for god’s sake. 

He twitches his mouth in clear annoyance. That boy he knows nearly nothing about had just ruined his day. He snorts as he makes his way into the last wagon and sinks into his seat. He took a while more to get to the station than usual, therefore most seats are empty. Looking out the window, he finally notices how the city is ready for Christmas. All the dim lights pass him by in a glimpse and, although it’s not snowing yet, he can draw on the fog that is forming on the glass, sliding then his finger and feeling the surface damp. He draws a cute little Christmas tree with a couple of ornaments and a star at the top. Chanyeol has been a fan of Christmas as long as he can remember, since it used to represent the perfect scenario of a loving and caring family. Now, that scenario is deeply crushed, and he can’t help but think it’s all because of him. 

 

“Uh, it’s definitely cold now.” 

Chanyeol rushes to his apartment before he catches a cold, which would be most likely the worst thing to happen to him at this point, with all the recordings going on. He takes off his ski coat and hangs it on a hook behind the front door. He quickly kicks his shoes out of his feet and runs to the bathroom, desperately in need of a hot bath. All the stress throughout the week needed to be released under perfumed waters. That is his upmost guilty pleasure. 

While the faucet is running, he opens his computer screen and logs in to twitter. He knows Sehun told him specifically not to, but he’s only human, and a damn curious one for that matter. He types ‘baekbyun’ in the search tab and there he is, in the first row of his most recent searched users. Chanyeol scrolls down through baekbyun’s feed, checking all the retweets and the likes and whatsoever. Some of them are about puppies, but most of them are about him. Loey this, Loey that, not a single kind word coming from him. He’s incredibly intrigued now. 

Chanyeol closes the faucet and gets into the tub. The hot water washes off his worries away about said twitter account. Well, kind of. He still thinks about the stuff he just read on the timeline and that makes him so confused. Why the hell people hate him so bad? What did ever do to baekbyun that could provide enough content to make him destroy his social life piece by piece? He can’t answer this question, as much as he puts thought into it. 

He lets his head sink into the water until his full body is immersed.

 

Now sitting on his bed, hair wet and a towel around his neck, Chanyeol checks his own twitter timeline, searching for anything that could light his mood up. He types ‘loeyfanart’ on the search tab and scrolls down once more, and a whole world of beautiful art awaits him. He’s so infatuated by his fans’ work. They all draw him in different ways, since nobody actually knows how he looks like. There are some close shots, but none too close to make him suspicious. He opens an image of him wearing his famous mask and a fanart right next to it, in comparison. It’s really similar to his figure in general, he’s so proud. He likes it and saves it as his lock screen.  _ Sehun would definitely take me for a snob right now.  _ The thought makes him laugh. 

But then, he sees something. It’s about baekbyun, but it actually doesn’t come from him. He clicks on the tweet to see every part of its content. 

@loeyislove27

GUYS i finally found @/baekbyun in real life!!!! 

after spreading so much fake and injurious information about Loey, he deserves to be exposed as well!! i tracked him down and found out about his real name and looks like he works at sweet tooth café, in seoul, and he’s called byun baekhyun. 

I had to take matters into my own hands after all the trouble he caused for loey

3,008 retweets                    10.2k likes

 

Chanyeol didn’t even know what his fan was talking about. All the trouble? Sure, he’s seen some pretty messed up comments coming from him on a daily basis, but he is a plain hater. It never got to the point of causing real trouble.  _ Wait, am I defending him? Chanyeol, you have to stop being so merciful all the fucking time, you dumbass.  _

 

@loeyislove27

i’ll post a thread later on about baekbyun’s disrespectful ways towards loey 

anyways, i’ve already done my part and threatened baekhyun to stop attacking loey so recklessly!! i hope it did the job 

let’s report his account until it’s taken down, guyss!!! 

450 retweets                     5,614 likes 

 

Under the tweet, there’s a picture of Byun Baekhyun. It’s blurred and Chanyeol can’t see much of his face, since his head is down. However, what he can see is the shining logo of Sweet Tooth Café behind the coffee counter. He’s wearing a light brown apron and holds a tiny smile, which Chanyeol could only see by a fraction. His heart races inside his chest. So that small boy who looks like a junior high school student is his number one anti-fan? Decidedly, he is not what Chanyeol expected him to be. Actually, he can’t even begin to describe how he thought his hater would look like. 

Even if he thinks a threat is way too harsh, he hopes his anti-fan stops being all up in his ass. He finally blocks his phone and gets ready to go to sleep. It’s been quite a day and Chanyeol needs all the rest he can get right now. Tomorrow morning he’ll finish recording and by Monday his EP will be released. He is so anxious about all of this that sleeping is the last thing on his mind. But still he forces himself to doze off. The problem is he can’t.

Rolling around in bed, Chanyeol thinks of Byun Baekhyun again. Damn it. He is so curious about his face personally that it becomes almost unbearable not knowing how the owner of that tiny smile could be the same person who deepened profoundly his anxiety issues. He sits up and sighs, scratching his head frustratingly. Then he rubs his face with his hands and lays back again. It’s 4 am by now. Ugh. _Get it together, you freak._ _You’re losing your shit over a guy who hates you._

That is when he decides. He needs to see him for himself.  

 

“Good afternoon and welcome to Sweet Tooth Café. What can I get you, sir?”

Every day, Baekhyun wears his best smile and best behavior towards his clients. He likes being praised about his angelical looks, and that also prevents him from being scolded by his boss. He only shows off his best side and treats everyone kind and respectfully. 

But this guy is starting to piss him off. 

It’s been at least 2 minutes that the man in front of him has been deadly silent, staring at him with those big almond eyes and creepy expression. He is quite tall and has a nice jet-black color on his hair. Altogether, he is really pleasant to look at, but Baekhyun is losing his patience. If he’s not ordering anything, he will most definitely kick him out of here. C’mon, what’s so difficult about ordering a coffee cup and a piece of pie or whatever? Baekhyun can’t understand. 

“Sir” he starts slowly, trying really hard not to snap at the obnoxious guy. “I need you to order something so you could make your way out of the row. There are quite a few customers behind you, and they don‘t look very happy about your static self.” He reasons. Baekhyun didn’t need it now, he really didn’t.

“I-I’m… sorry. I mean, I—” he starts, only to pause mid-sentence right after. Baekhyun snorts quietly. He’s so full of it. “I’d like a caramel macchiato, please. And a piece of red velvet cake. And a bottle of water. Please.” 

If this man wasn’t so cute, Baekhyun wouldn’t be so complacent. He usually would ask the client to leave immediately if anything were to happen. Now, he just wants to squish his cheeks with his hands and kiss his cute nose. Of course he doesn’t do that. Obviously that’s out of question. 

“Alright, is that all?” the man nods shyly. Baekhyun wants to smile, but it would be so weird. “That would be the price, sir.” He points to the screen right above the counter, under a glass board to keep it from being stolen or accidentally broken. The man puts out his wallet and gives him the right amount of money. Baekhyun silently thanks him, since everyone pays by credit and debit cards these days, so there was the slight chance of not holding any change inside the cash register. “Your order will be delivered to your table in a couple of minutes, sir. Please wait comfortably. You may sit anywhere you’d like.”

“Thank you, and I apologize again for the disturbance. Have a nice day.”

“You too.” 

The man leaves hesitantly and wanders around the place before finding a free seat by the counter. Minseok, the barista and close friend, greets him and starts to prepare his macchiato. Baekhyun knows very well he is really good at what he does, so the tall man is in good hands. He would probably drink the best macchiato of his life. Baekhyun proceeds then to write down his customer orders, wearing a dreamy smile on his lips at the thought of the cute stranger. 

 

“Wait, what is he still doing here?” 

That man is still in the coffee shop, although he is sitting by the window now. Baekhyun had been so busy for the past hours that he haven’t even seen it happening. He looks so peaceful staring at the outside, holding a small notebook in his hands and wearing red earphones. Baekhyun wonders what he is thinking about so serenely. 

He approaches him softly, wanting all but to alarm him and disturb his deep thinking. Baekhyun touches the stranger’s shoulder, but he gets scared off anyway. He quickly shoves his  notebook in his backpack and stares at Baekhyun with wide eyes, whom was certainly not expecting this kind of reaction. 

“I’m sorry I scared you. It’s just… we’re about to close and you’ve been here for the past three hours so…” Baekhyun reasons himself, and he is not so sure about why he is trying so hard. The way this peculiar man acts and talks… He is definitely not used to it. 

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I guess I didn’t see the time passing at all. I got distracted and… I guess you don’t need to know about that, sorry.” 

“No need  to apologize.” Baekhyun fondly smiles, however the latter doesn’t even blink. This is harder than he thought it’d be. Doesn’t he get that he needs to get out of here so they can close the coffee shop? God. “I mean… You need to go. Like, now.”

He stands up right away and apologizes once more, grabbing his stuff and hanging his backpack on his left shoulder.  _ Good _ . He bows at least five hundred times before heading towards the door. Baekhyun is astonished by now. He shrugs it off and proceeds to clean the table in front of him. After removing all the tableware, he notices there is something near the edge of the chair. It’s a silver USB flash drive. He picks it up with his free hand. It should be something important to his customer, right? He’ll surely come looking for that object at some point. 

“You look troubled. Is there something on your mind?” Kyungsoo asks him. He is the cook, and he’s quite good at it. From time to time, Baekhyun would be invited into his small apartment to try his new recipes. He’s actually the café owner’s son. He used to go to college with Baekhyun, but then he dropped out of music school and applied for Gastronomy. Baekhyun remembers him being really pissed about it, but now he sees how it was the best for Kyungsoo, considering how happy he seems to be. 

“That guy forgot something. You think he’s coming back anytime soon? He surely seems scatty.” Kyungsoo’s face goes dull as he glances at the object between Baekhyun’s slender fingers. He takes it and pockets it in his apron. “He was quite a catch, don’t you think? I bet he hides some creepy stuff in it. Let’s give it a check!” Baekhyun asks, a sight of a smirk plastering on his mouth. The cook simply scoffs and turns away. He is such a bore! Baekhyun couldn’t even make a joke and he would go dead serious. No fun. “I really wasn’t going to, anyways…” He mumbles, unsatisfied with the poor amount of attention he receives. 

“Hey, Baekhyun? Can you please leave Kyungsoo alone and finish your cleaning? We’re trying to close here, you know” Jongdae interrupts– actually, there was nothing to interrupt in the first place, but let Baekhyun be his self-centered ass–, hitting his colleague with a dishrag. And then he turns to Kyungsoo, who looks like he is not surprised at all with the ongoing conversation. Nothing out of ordinary. “Do you want me to put that away for you? Minseok and I we’re just talking about how we needed a lost and found box in case any customer forgets something important, which apparently is the case…” 

“Do you ever stop blabbering?”

“Shut up, Byun!” 

“I swear if you guys–”

“Hum, excuse me…?”

All three heads turn at the same time when they hear a deep voice coming from the main door of the café. The stranger, in all of his glory, stands by the passage way and looks embarrassed. Although he is such a big guy compared to them, he looks like a twelve year-old, wearing big round glasses and bangs. Baekhyun rapidly takes the flash drive from Kyungsoo’s hand and presents it to the stranger. The gesture seems to take so much weight off of his shoulders that Baekhyun can’t just leave it like that. Not really. 

“Thank god! You just saved my life. There’s so much I could lose if I left this little thing behind!” He says, looking very relieved. He tries to grab it, but Baekhyun hides it in his palm. Jongdae and Kyungsoo are so rolling their eyes right now. 

“Actually…” Baekhyun starts, a tiny grin lighting up his face. “You did leave it behind. I guess you were just so lucky to have us here keeping it safe for you! If only it’d fallen in the wrong hands… Oh no, that would be quite a tragedy.”

“Don’t fall for it. He literally just suggested we should check its content, since you look like a creepy pervert or something.” Jongdae interfered. 

“Kim Jongdae! Shut it, you dumbfuck.” 

The man was probably confused as hell, judging by his not-so-subtle facial expressions. 

“What I mean is… Shouldn’t we get something in exchange? Since we kept it so nicely for this gentleman? Am I right?” Baekhyun looks around, hoping for any encouragement from his colleagues  _ slash _ friends.  

“Nops” Jongdae says. 

“Just give it back to him, Baekhyun. I want to go home.” Kyungsoo finally speaks out, and it doesn’t help Baekhyun’s little prank at all. He sighs as he recognizes his miserable defeat. He turns to look at his target and gets surprised. He is staring so willingly at him that is kind of disturbing. Baekhyun feels analyzed under his gaze. He doesn’t like it, not one bit. 

“Alright, then… Here. I hope there’s some high class FBI top-secret shit in there, understand? Otherwise, all this action here” He motions his hand around in a circle. “…was so in vain. Now get gone. Shoo.” He really needs this stranger to stop glaring at him like that. His stomach swirls. So fucking weird. 

The guy takes his USB flash drive and heads towards the exit, really hesitant and twisted-faced. His eyebrows are all scrunched up and his nose is wrinkled, which certainly didn’t help his young features, only making him resemble a child twice as more. Baekhyun hears the exiting bell sound and then decides he’s not quite satisfied yet. 

“Hey!”

 

Chanyeol is such a dumbass fucktard. Fuck. A million times fuck. 

He got so distracted by his hater’s looks that he forgot the utmost important item of his life on a fucking coffee table in a fucking coffee shop. How could he be so fucking stupid?

He curses himself as he runs as fast as he can to the store. He left it at least ten minutes ago, so there is this slight possibility that the shop is already closed for the night. If Sehun knew about his, Chanyeol would be so dead. Inside that drive, there are all of his demos, his first homemade recordings and his compositions altogether. He knows he should just save it all in Google Drive or whatever, but he is an old fashioned twat like that. This particular event will surely be engraved on his mind for life. 

_ The first thing you will do as you get home! Save it all! Oh my god, Chanyeol… _

Thankfully, the lights are still on and the door is unlocked. He makes his way inside and startles the three of the men in the coffee shop, Baekhyun included. Chanyeol gulps. Why does he get so nervous around that guy? Surely not due to the fact that he is his number one hater… 

“Thank god! You just saved my life. There’s so much I could lose if I left this little thing behind!” He exclaims, as soon as Baekhyun holds up his flash drive to him. He is ready to catch it and put it safely in his backpack, in a special reserved pocket, however his anti-fan hides it away. Wait, what? 

“Actually… You did leave it behind. I guess you were just so lucky to have us here keeping it safe for you! If only it’d fallen in the wrong hands… Oh no, that would be quite a tragedy.” 

Chanyeol is deeply confused. Yes, they saved it for him, but… It was only for ten minutes, tops. What is so wrong about that? They didn’t even have the time to lock it somewhere else. Will Baekhyun ask for money or…?

“Don’t fall for it. He literally just suggested we should check its content, since you look like a creepy pervert or something.”  _ Ouch _ . Another guy pops into the weird conversation. Baekhyun doesn’t seem very happy about it, since he tells him to shut up. The last guy talks as well, but at this point, Chanyeol doesn’t even know what to do anymore. Should he just take his drive and run away? This is looking really appealing right now. 

Baekhyun glances at him. His eyes are so beautiful. They are small and really dark, but still there is a flicker of light whenever he looks at him. His eyelashes are pretty. His eyebrows are thick, though from time to time his bangs fall above them– Baekhyun is sure to put his hair  back up only to fall on his eyes right after. He has a cute slightly wide nose. There is a mole on his cheek. And another smaller one next to the corner of his beautiful pink pouty lips. His ears are as protuberant as Chanyeol’s, even if his are a little less flashy. It’s unfair that a man could be so damn well-proportioned. Wait a second. He’s staring. Really hard.  _ Get it together! _

“Alright, then. Here. I hope there’s some high class FBI top-secret shit in there, understand? Otherwise, all this action here was so in vain. Now get gone. Shoo.” 

Chanyeol blinks. He acts like he just woke up from his daydreaming, wide eyes and heart thumping shit like that. Oh, man. He cannot have a fucking crush on his biggest anti-fan! Saying he is out of his league is an understatement. Gulping down, he grabs his drive and the subtle touch sends shivers down his spine. He is certain that he is frowning real bad right now. 

Finally realizing that he made a fool of himself the entire time spent in the coffee shop, he takes his way out into the cold night. The snow breeze hits him right in his face, and Chanyeol wonders why he didn’t bring a scarf with him that morning. Just as he is trying to decide if the train or the bus is the best way home, he hears a voice coming from behind.

“Hey!” 

Chanyeol turns around, quite surprised. He didn’t forget another thing, did he? 

Baekhyun steps up to him, looking like he just realized it’s winter. He is wearing a thin sweater underneath the brown apron and a pair of skinny jeans that actually don’t seem like they’re warming his legs. However, no matter how cold it is, that smirk never leaves his mouth.

“I guess since you didn’t give me anything for keeping your drive safe…”

“For ten minutes.”

“My point is… what is your name?”

Chanyeol takes a step back. He definitely wasn’t expecting that.

“That… is your point?”

Baekhyun scoffs, then laughs softly. His cheeks are really red by now, but not because Chanyeol made him blush, that is for sure. 

“I guess I wanted to put a name to this pretty face.”

_ He thinks I’m pretty? Is that a good thing? Wait. Does it mean I look like a girl?  _

“Uh. Chanyeol. I’m Park Chanyeol. But call me Chanyeol. Or not. I mean. Call me whatever you feel like calling me.” He says anyway, messing up his tempo a little bit. Baekhyun does get him very flustered. 

“I am Byun Baekhyun. It was a pleasure, Park Chanyeol.”

“Yeah, same.” He can’t believe he actually means it.  _ What the fuck? This guy is probably going to bash you online as soon as he gets home. What the hell do you think you’re doing?  _ He can almost hear Sehun going off about it, and only the thought of it makes him really frustrated. Chanyeol is just so easy. “I think you should go.”

“Oh.”

“No, I mean. You’ll probably catch the flu if you stand here in the cold. It’s best if you stay inside if you’re not going home just yet.” 

“I guess you’re right. Thanks. See you soon?” Baekhyun smiles.  _ Yes. Yes. See you soon, like, tomorrow. I guess I’m not even going home tonight! I’ll just stay around and watch you talk for the whole night.  _

“Sure. See you soon.” That’s what he actually says. 

 

Baekhyun arrives home late that night. He took the last train and got home around 11 pm, since Kyungsoo and Jongdae made him clean all the freaking tables before leaving. Probably because he messed up with his costumer’s sanity. Baekhyun is a simple light-headed man that enjoys fooling around a little bit too much for his own good, but what’s so bad about it? He never really causes trouble for anybody anyways. 

Well, of course there is an exception. 

Just thinking of  _ him _ brings an awful feeling on the pit of his stomach. That crappy-ass of an artist. The one that makes his life a little more miserable everyday. A constant reminder of everything he used to love and now hates so fiercely. Baekhyun scratches the back of his head and throws himself on the couch. 

It is a little bit dirty. It’s been so long since he had it washed. He picks the dust particles with the tip of his fingers and shakes it off, but it’s worthless. There is no better metaphor to describe his state of mind and lifestyle than this shitty old couch. Beat-up and full of little impurities and problems he just can’t shake off. He feels his eyes watering. Now is definitely not the time to cry. But he does anyway. At least, he’s alone and no one will see him breaking apart slowly. He needs to get it together. 

His fridge is even messier – he reckons as he looks for something to eat. There are still a couple of apples and tomatoes and sweet potatoes from his last grocery shopping adventure. That’s it. Looking for a real job have gotten him so tired that he couldn’t find time for anything, much less for shopping. Don’t get him wrong, Sweet Tooth is great, and he has the best colleagues and boss ever, but it’s just not paying his bills. 

He tries to clean the fridge by emptying its shelves and spraying a tube of disinfectant on them. Maybe he will feel cleaner too. That’s all he wants to be. Cleaner. And a bath is not really capable of doing its work properly by the state of things. His mind is dirty. His heart is dirty. He repulses himself, disgusted at what he turned out to be along the way. 

 

Baekhyun is sitting by the kitchen counter, scrolling through his timeline. There are a couple news about Loey’s new EP that will be released next Monday. He rolls his eyes. His stomach swirls with anger. How could life be so unfair? He sighs deeply, trying to stop himself of tweeting anything stupid, but he knows it’s stronger than him. His last tweet about Loey had about a thousand likes, but there were almost ten thousand comments, most of them by fans hating on him. By now, he was used to it. It’s part of the job.

Baekhyun didn’t always hate Loey. He actually doesn’t know when he started blaming the idol for his failure in this industry. Since the beginning, he wanted to be an idol as well. However, Loey ruined all of his chances and then he had to quit. He used to attend music school, but it was so expensive. That only contributed to his mother’s disapproval of his choice of career. Byun Hani is a tough cold woman. She would never accept her child becoming a singer, especially since his older brother, Byun Baekbeom, is a successful businessman. Apparently, his brother being so rich and lucky means a lot to his mother, and Baekhyun’s lack of it hurts her pride very deeply. 

Now, Byun Baekhyun is a broke employee at a coffee shop, a music school dropout and with no self esteem or self love whatsoever. Only a young man, full of hatred to share on twitter towards this one specific idol. He can feel his throat knotting. He desperately reaches his phone and pours it all out. He doesn’t even mean most of what he’s typing. He just need someone to take the blame of his failure for him. 

 

@baekbyun

i never hated someone so much in my life 

hey loey if u see this

just know u made my life miserable and it’s all on YOU 

u r a fuckin shithole ridiculous human being 

please die 

9 retweets                    41 likes 

“Chanyeol, are you okay?” 

He dries his stubborn tears with his shirt sleeve before Sehun can see him. He knows he shouldn’t be affected by those mean words, but only thinking about how someone so cute and apparently nice could write something so hurtful and purely evil makes him sick. Something is off. He can’t recall doing anything regarding media issues that could possibly make Baekhyun mad. It was so out of nowhere. And it hurt Chanyeol  _ bad _ .

“Hey, you… are you crying?” Sehun sounds shocked. Even though Chanyeol is a crybaby, he isn’t one for showing off his tears every time, preferring to pour his heart out when he’s alone. However, he couldn’t hold it in this time. He was just checking his recordings one last time before approving everything that would make into the EP when he saw baekbyun’s tweet. At least this time there weren’t many likes or retweets. That kind of calmed down his restless heart. 

“Was. I’m okay now. I swear. No need to worry about me.” He tries to sound real mature, but it only feels like he’s fooling himself. He only met Baekhyun yesterday, but he is certainly infatuated. Who would know meeting his hater would cause so much confusion on his mind? Definitely not him. 

Sehun nods slowly, his eyebrows furrowing as he comes closer. He just got out of a meeting with his superiors from SM Entertainment, so he looks really sharp, suit on and everything. Formal clothing makes him look older, which only emphasizes his angry frown. Chanyeol would never say it out loud, but sometimes he is really afraid of Sehun.  

“You need to be all about your music now, Chanyeol. If you keep stalking your haters on twitter, you’ll be restless and that will impact negatively on your work. Please, I’m begging you. Stop reading about you on the internet.”

Chanyeol has never seen Sehun this serious about something before, and that is saying a lot, since he’s always really professional about his job. He suddenly feels small, even if he is taller than Sehun. His voice is still ringing on Chanyeol’s ears and guilt consumes him. He should’ve listened to his manager since day one, but he was so intrigued by Byun Baekhyun that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on, promise.” 

“Good. Now… You said you were going somewhere?”

  
  


“Good evening, sir! Welcome to Sweet Tooth Café. What can I get you today?”

Chanyeol wasn’t expecting to see another waiter by the counter tonight. He had it all pictured out; he would meet Baekhyun again and ask for his number. His plan is trying to find out why he hates Loey and then convince him that he is not so bad after all. It’s a good plan. Could work. If Baekhyun was here in the first place. He grunts and orders the same as the day before. He can’t stop himself from asking next:

“Where is Baekhyun?”

The attendant seems a little surprised. His small eyes widen briefly before he smirks. Wait, Chanyeol recognizes him. He’s one of the dudes that were cleaning yesterday, when he returned to the café looking for his pen drive. He can’t remember his name, though. What he does remember is Baekhyun calling him a dumbfuck. 

“You’re the guy from yesterday, right? Baekhyun doesn’t usually work on Fridays. You should look for him tomorrow.” The guy’s face is suddenly bright. He seems very amused and Chanyeol can’ t help but think he will be mocked by Baekhyun’s colleagues afterwards. He doesn’t love it, he admits. He pays and looks for an empty table by the window, where he sat the evening before. Somehow, this particular environment makes his head fuzzy with so many ideas. He’s been so inspired these last couple of days that he couldn’t get out of his house without bringing his composition notebook with him. He’s been writing a lot. Specifically about Byun Baekhyun’s angel face yet evil demeanor. 

He doesn’t hang around for long. He came from work to talk to Baekhyun, not to eat or drink coffee, so there isn’t much for him to do, not with an EP coming out next week. And Sehun did say he should get some real rest this weekend. Therefore he should actually listen to him this time. He knows his manager is right anyways. He is packing his stuff when the waiter from before approaches his table. He really resembles a camel somehow. Maybe it’s the eyes.

“Hey. Here, take this” He gives him a piece of folded paper, which Chanyeol cautiously opens and reads. There is a number written hurriedly on it, so that he almost can’t read it. “Look, I’ve never seen Baekhyun interested in someone for ages. Actually, I’ve never seen him interested  _ at all _ for crying out loud. So take his number and  _ please _ call him. Or text him, for all I care. Just do something.”

Chanyeol is perplexed. If he knew it would be so simple, he wouldn’t be martyrizing himself for all the time he spent at the coffee shop without actually accomplishing what he came to do in the first place. The waiter is looking at him expectantly, so Chanyeol puts the piece of paper in his jacket’s front pocket gently and smiles softly. The biggest grin ever is soon plastered all over the latter’s face, and Chanyeol can’t help but think how awkward this situation is. 

“Actually, I came here to ask for his number, so… Yeah, thank you for the help.” 

“No worries, dude. Just… take it easy with him, alright? He’s way more sensitive than he looks.” If Chanyeol thought he was getting ahead of himself by intending to ask for Baekhyun’s number, this guy certainly didn’t. “I’m Jongdae, by the way.”

“Chanyeol.” 

“Yeah, nice to meet you, bro.”

 

“You did what?!”

“Wow, dude, chill out. I just did what you were going to do soon or later!” 

Baekhyun is infuriated. How could his friend sabotage him like that? Okay, maybe he is being a little dramatic, but Jongdae gave his number to some random stranger just because he told him he was cute! Even if he knows Chanyeol looks like the real soft guy, he shouldn’t have given his number. Something as personal as that. And Baekhyun would probably want to give it to Chanyeol himself, not by a third party or whatever. Jongdae is grinning and he really just wants to smack that smile out of his face. 

“Even if I was planning to do that, you couldn’t do it for me! I didn’t even ask you to!” Baekhyun is not usually the one for picking fights and causing discord like this, but he is very much stressed about his current life situation. Especially since Loey’s EP will be out in two days and his fans are all up in his ass due to last night’s tweet. If there was a disliking mechanism on twitter, he is certain that he’d be getting some under it. He regrets it a bit, but it’s out on the open, so deleting it will do no favor. “Look. I didn’t mean to get mad at you, but this kind of thing is not quite right. You should’ve asked before you did it.”

“But you wouldn’t let me do it if I asked!” Jongdae exclaims, exasperated. 

“And now you got my point!” 

“I can’t believe...” Jongdae gets up from Kyungsoo’s couch– they are currently at his apartment, tasting his new chocolate cake recipes. Kyungsoo is busy at the kitchen, so they try to keep it as low as they can, but Baekhyun’s high-pitched voice is really something, especially when he’s pissed. His friend walks around the small living room, looking very much annoyed. Jongdae has this little habit of wandering around when he is mad at someone, shaking his head like he’s putting too much thought onto something. It’s quite disturbing to watch, and Baekhyun can’t hold his frustration in anymore.

“Can you stop?”

“No. I’ll tell you why.” Jongdae says, matter-of-factly. “I did it because I knew you would be such a chicken about it. The guy was  _ enchanted  _ by you that day, even if you messed with his face. And let me tell you… Chanyeol came to the coffee shop only to ask for your number. He asked for you, and when I told him you weren’t there… well, he was really disappointed. Guess he didn’t expect you to have Fridays’ recess. So I walked right up to him and gave him your phone number. Just because I want you to be happy.”

“Look, I appreciate it, but how can you even tell if this guy is not a scam or something? We barely know him–  _ I  _ barely know him. He could be a fucking psycho, for god’s sake!”

“Yeah, but what is the only way you can figure him out?”

“Searching his name on the deep web?” 

“Getting to know him, you moron. Talking to him.” Jongdae softens his tone. He is tired of trying to reason with Baekhyun. He’s so stubborn that his friend almost gave up trying to knock some sense into him. But now he’s left speechless. If that means he’ll give it a try Jongdae never knows, because right when he seems like he’s got something to say, Kyungsoo barges into the room with a steaming batch of chocolate chip cookies that smell like the best thing in the whole world. Baekhyun doesn’t utter a single word while he eats his cookies.

“Careful, those are really hot.” Kyungsoo warns him. He senses the tension in the room as he hands Jongdae some napkins to hold the cookies. He wasn’t planning on listening to their heated conversation, however they weren’t exactly discrete about it either. Kyungsoo is quite concerned about Baekhyun now, since he is not talking back to Jongdae, which is odd. Sighing lowly, he sits by the couch, next to Jongdae, and leaves the cookie platter on the center table. “Well, how do you like it? I’m thinking of crumbling those into a sort of pie crust, to make different textures. Maybe I should make them more crunchy.” 

Baekhyun shakes his head. “They’re just perfect. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside.” Kyungsoo laughs as Jongdae agrees, vehemently nodding his head, mouth full of cookies and his face all dirty with chocolate chip crumbs. 

“Just like you.” 

 

Later that night, Baekhyun is watching a crappy romantic movie on his laptop while eating some popcorn when his phone chimes. He cleans his buttered fingers on his blanket (it’s dirty anyway, and he’s doing the laundry tomorrow morning, since Sunday is cleaning day– don’t judge him). It’s a text message, number unknown. He unblocks his phone and the message pops on the screen. 

 

[n u m b e r  u n k n o w n]

_ Hey.  _

 

Baekhyun scoffs. What should he type back? He is definitely not one for fooling around. 

 

[ baekhyun ]

_ Who is this? _

[n u m b e r  u n k n o w n]

_ Ah, right.  _

_ It’s Chanyeol.  _

_ From the coffee shop. You probably don’t remember. I forgot something and then had to go back… You called me a creepy pervert?  _

[ baekhyun ]

_ Is that a question?  _

_ P.S: I do remember you. _

 

He quickly saves Chanyeol’s number. Suddenly he is excited. It’s been so long since he’s actually been expecting something. He doesn’t know why, but getting to know his little new acquaintance seems really appealing. What should he name him on his phone? A particular flashy physical trait pops on his mind and the next second he is congratulating himself for being so fucking creative.

 

[ baekhyun ]

_ How old are u again? _

[ yeolda ]

_ I never said it.  _

_ Anyways, I’m 23. _

[ baekhyun ]

_ You should call me  _ hyung _ then. _

_ I’m 24.  _

[ yeolda ]

_ No way I’m calling you hyung.  _

_ You’re just too cute, you’re like my younger brother. _

[ baekhyun ]

_ He must be very cute if you’re comparing him to me.  _

_ What is his name? _

[ yeolda ]

_ I don’t have a younger brother.  _

_ I’m just saying you look like one lol _

_ You’re must be, what? 2 inches tall? >.< _

[ baekhyun ]

_ Hey show me some respect _

_ I’m still older than you, dumbass  _

_ Anyways… _

_ Should we hang out some time?  _

 

Baekhyun is suddenly nervous. He wasn’t expecting to be so nonchalant about this, but it felt so natural. Talking to this Chanyeol guy makes his stomach swirl in ways it never did before. Should he take this as a sign? He waits fidgetly for his answer while Chanyeol types back for what it seems like eternity. Two minutes turn into two hours in his head and soon Baekhyun finds himself rolling on the couch like a toddler. 

What if it’s too early? But wait, didn’t Chanyeol himself ask for his number? Maybe he misinterpreted things? Maybe he should delete that text… But what if Chanyeol actually wants to go out with him? This would certainly be a waste. What the actual fuck should he do?!

By the time Baekhyun snaps out of his controversial pep talk, Chanyeol had already sent four to five messages. He shakingly grabs his phone and reads. 

 

[ yeolda ]

_ We definitely should  _

_ I mean _

_ I’m down if you are _

_ Are you down? _

_ …are you mocking me again?  _

 

Baekhyun is glad that Chanyeol seems as freaked out as he is. Sweet lord, doesn’t he sound like a virgin… In a span of 2 minutes, his message partner accepted his proposition, then got shy, then got confused,  _ then _ questioned his ethical purposes. Aren’t they soulmates by now? 

 

[ baekhyun ]

_ I’m most certainly not.  _

_ Hm…  _

_ Where should we go? _

[ yeolda ]

_ Oh wow _

_ I  _

_ We could go bowling i guess  _

_ I know this really awesome place and they have the most AMAZING smoothies _

[ baekhyun ]

_ Never would I take you as a smoothie person  _

_ You look like a bubble tea addict  _

[ yeolda ]

_ Ouch. _

_ My manager is, tho. _

 

Wait, what? 

 

[ yeolda ]

_ *best friend!!  _

_ Idk my autocorrect is bullying me these days lol please ignore it _

_ Anyways you would like him  _

_ He’s almost as mischievous as you are  _

[ baekhyun ]

_ Haha very funny  _

_ Sure i’d love to meet him someday _

_ But back to bowling _

_ Are you free monday night?  _

[ yeolda ]

_ Not really…  _ _ ☹ _

_ I have work-related errands  _

_ But how about tuesday night? _

[ baekhyun ]

_ Ok, yeah. It works for me  _

_ What do you say about meeting at the coffee shop at 6 pm?  _

_ My shift ends by then, we could go together  _

_ Since I have no fucking idea where this bowling place is  _

[ yeolda ]

_ Sounds like a plan _

_ See you soon <3  _

[ baekhyun ]

_ Yeah, see you  _ _ ☺ _

 

Baekhyun lays back on the couch, somewhat relieved. He haven’t had a conversation  like this since he was a teenager and he forgot how stressful it could be. His heart is beating like crazy, for god’s sake. What did he say?  _ Fucking virgin.  _

 

“You seem oddly happy right now…” Sehun states as Chanyeol runs into the studio. It’s Sunday morning and it’s early. It’s literally code for bad mood, but his little artist is glowing like the sun. That’s why when Chanyeol says it’s because of the launch of his EP on the following day, Sehun calls him out. He doesn’t buy it at all. “You’ve been gloomy all week because of your goddamn EP, telling me people won’t like it and you’re just so insecure about your talent… basically you’ve been going off about how depressed you are about this and suddenly you’re the motherfucking sun? C’mon, give me some credit.” 

“That’s actually really rude of you, but… Ok, I’ll tell you. But promise not to be angry.”

Sehun narrows his eyes. 

“You  _ have _ to promise, or I won’t tell you. It’s not up for debate.” 

“Fine” He sighs. “I promise. Now what is it?”

Chanyeol takes a deep breath. He knows Sehun for quite a long time, so he fears his reaction the most. Besides the fact that idols under this specific label can’t date, Sehun always told him specifically not to, since he could get too involved, tell his true identity and then get revealed to the public through a _ Dispatch _ article, which is the absolute worst that could ever happen to an idol. He’s definitely having second thoughts on this. Well, here goes nothing.

“I kind of have a… date…?”

“You  _ wha— _ ”

“Don’t be mad! You  _ promised _ , like, literally two seconds ago!”

Sehun massages his temples, clearly frustrated. He knew it would come down to this, but Chanyeol liked the ‘everything will be okay and Sehun won’t be mad, in fact he will accept it wholeheartedly’ illusion better. He scratches his nape, too embarrassed– ok,  _ scared as fuck _ – to say anything. He wouldn’t even dare to snap at Sehun. 

“Why? Why would you do that  _ when I told you very clearly not to? _ ”

Chanyeol lowers his head. What should he answer after all? He couldn’t simply tell him about his stupid plan. Sehun would definitely go crazy, so this scenario is unlikely to happen. Should he say he’s been mingling around to relieve stress? He truly doesn’t know which is worse. So he decides to keep his mouth shut while he gets scolded by his infuriated manager. 

“Chanyeol, you’re not acting wisely these days.  Since that anti-fan of yours came into picture…” Sehun stops, his expression turning into one of exasperation. “This is about him. Isn’t it?”

“ _ What?  _ Are you out of your mind now?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me!” He scoffs. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but you better stop this  _ right now _ . Your EP launches literally tomorrow night. There couldn’t be a worse time for you to be head over heels for this one hater!”

“ _ I know _ . I swear I’m not doing anything stupid. Look, I—” Chanyeol sighs. Why the hell is he putting so much effort into his relationship with Baekhyun? They barely know each other. Why does he have the need to make everyone like him? He wishes he could answer that. “I promise you I won’t mess up. I’ll be careful.”

Sehun stares at him, his expression once again unreadable. “Okay. You better be.” 

 

It’s finally Monday. There are a couple hours left until his EP is out, and Chanyeol is losing his shit big time. He hasn’t been this nervous since his debut, which wasn’t that long ago. He knows he shouldn’t be feeling this insecure, but he can’t help it. When Chanyeol thinks about his EP being released, he can only recall the countless all-nighters he pulled, the gigantic amount of effort and hard work he put into his project, each cautiously produced track and all of those vocal classes he got so he could experiment a little bit more with his own voice – so many blood, sweat and tears (maybe not blood, though).

Chanyeol keeps checking both his cell phone and watch. The hours aren’t passing at all? Is this some kind of plot of the universe against him? Since he’s been so negative about his music the past week… No. Keep it together, dude. Stop acting like a baby. 

He is currently taking the train to meet Sehun at the company’s building, his earphones are plugged in his ears while he listens to his tracks one last time before the launch at 6 pm. He really enjoys his music, so he’s glad about this one thing. He gets involved into his lyrics about love and happiness, distracting himself to the point he gets really startled by his ringtone when someone calls him. Chanyeol checks the ID before answering, hoping it’s Sehun calling to calm his nerves or ask if he is on his way to the building, but it’s his mom. 

“Hey, mom. Doing well?”

“ _ Chanyeol, my love! I should be the one asking you that. How are you feeling about today’s big event?” _

His parents have always been the most supportive about his career since day one, therefore he’s not surprised when they call before something meaningful is about to occur, such as a new album or an extended play of sorts. By the way, one thing Chanyeol cannot do is hide anything from his mother. She knows almost everything about his life, because he is just so eager to tell her all about it. She’s never intrusive, though. His mother is really the best. 

“I’m freaking scared, mom. I swear, I’m going crazy right now. Is it too late to go back?” Chanyeol chooses his words carefully, being well aware of his surroundings – there are a lot of strangers, and the majority will most likely stop and listen when an equally strange individual picks up his cellphone on the train. 

He hears his mother’s soft laugh,

“ _ You do know there’s no need to be worried, right? You just need to be yourself and everyone will instantly be charmed by your talent. I’m telling you, sweetheart, you have so much potential. You only need to learn how to see it.” _

“You’re right…”

“ _ I know I’m right. So forget about giving up. I’m pretty sure your music will be on top charts, Chanyeol. You’ll see. Mother knows best.” _

“Quoting  _ Tangled _ now, are you?” He laughs. Then he feels his phone vibrating in his hand. A second call appears on the screen. It’s Sehun. “Mom, my manager is calling. I need to hang up. Catch you later?” 

“ _ Sure. Your dad is sending you all the love. Best of luck to you, Chan. Love you.” _

“Love you too, mom.” 

 

** [K-NET]  **

** LOEY’s new EP ‘You’ is OUT NOW!  **

Everyone’s been aware of the upcoming extended play of the most trending artist at the moment, who goes by the name of LOEY. His looks are still a mystery to us, but what is  _ not  _ a mystery is how good his new songs are! From ‘You’, the single which gives the title to the EP itself, to ‘Hand’, this work really shows how deep is Loey’s passion and love for his fans. He put his heart out this time, and we’re here for it! Listen to ‘You’ now on every streaming device!

 

“Ugh…” Baekhyun closes the twitter app after reading the most recent article of K-NET about Loey. He doesn’t know why he was even reading it in the first place, probably because  _ every single person  _ is talking about it on the timeline. There is no actual way he wouldn’t see something like this after Loey’s EP got released. Baekhyun admits he is a little curious about it, about why every damn fan is bragging about it– is it that good? He sighs and blocks his phone, trying to forget about his netizen-hater-life for a minute. 

Baekhyun looks around him, his eyes searching for one specific tall dude running incredibly late. He's been waiting outside Sweet Tooth Café since half past six, just because he felt like it. Possibly due to his nervousness, since he hasn't gone on a date since forever. He can't even recall the last time he dated someone– probably back in college. 

He sighs. It's already 7:30 and Chanyeol isn't anywhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Baekhyun glances down to his outfit. He's been careful enough to remember he needed a change of clothes after his shift, so that morning he packed his best plain white t-shirt and pair of black jeans along with his best quality denim jacket inside a backpack, which he brought to work and left in the lock room. He even applied a little bit of brown eyeliner, just so he could outline his eyelids, and lip balm. Even cologne, for god's sake. He is really invested. But what would it all mean if Chanyeol doesn't even have the decency to show up in time? He was the one that invited him to go bowling after all. 

He is about to go back inside, under Jongdae's sympathy glares, when he hears someone calling his name, in a rather rushed tone. He turns around and sees Chanyeol running towards him quite clumsily. He looks really desperate, like he's been running for a while now. He arrives and tries to talk, but words don't come out of his mouth, only breathless gasps. He puts both his hands on his knees and try to reach for air. 

"I'm– ahh– I'm s-sorry" Chanyeol tries, but it doesn't really sound like it when he hears it. Baekhyun pats his head softly, trying to somewhat reassure him that it's okay for him to be this late– but it's actually not and he sure as hell will demand some explanation later on.

"Please breathe. You sound really exhausted."

"I had some kind of emergency, but... I'm here now. So let's go. I had to call the bowling venue and reschedule our playing time. But if we leave now, we can make it."

"Okay, then. Let's hope the train isn't too crowded..."

"Actually, we're driving."

  
  


"Why didn't you tell me you had a freaking  _ chauffeur _ ?" Baekhyun whispers to Chanyeol as they head to the bowling place. When the latter said they were driving, he definitely didn’t think that the one actually driving would be Chanyeol’s  _ personal driver _ . Who even has that? 

“That didn’t seem like something to share on a first date, but I had no choice…”

“And why is that?” 

Chanyeol freezes for a moment. Baekhyun narrows his eyes as he stares at him. This dude can be really hard to read. Especially inside a big black shiny car. 

“My… parents. They insisted I should take their car, since it’s our first date and it wouldn’t be so nice of me if we took the train… They’re really old-fashioned and stuff.” Chanyeol breathes out, almost vomiting the words all at once. 

“That is… odd. And they are totally fine with you being gay?”

“They don’t know…? But I will tell them anytime now. I don’t intend to keep it a secret for long, since it’s been almost twelve years I’ve known, yeah.” 

Baekhyun can totally relate. When he told his parents he was gay, they freaked out. His mother took it harder than he expected and she still thinks it is a phase, but what can he do about it? He’s not going to change any time soon. He glances over Chanyeol, who is staring at his own hands, placed on his lap. He looks cute. Baekhyun can’t help when his lips turn into a soft smile. Guess that’s what being interested in someone does to you. 

“Ah, we’re here.”

 

Stupid Chanyeol. Why did he have to lie so openly like that? His parents have known he is gay since eighth grade and they couldn’t be farther from old-fashioned– they’re actually pretty up to date. Nothing like how he described them just now. But he had to come with an explanation for why he had a freaking  _ chauffeur _ . Actually, it was Sehun’s suggestion– more like an order. Since he was diving right into this whole relationship thing with his anti-fan, his manager gave him options. Either he started giving out small hints of his true identity, or Sehun would snitch him to his superiors. And how nice would it turn out if that were to happen…

Thus Chanyeol invented a crappy, barely believable story about why he had them driven to the bowling place. Baekhyun seemed to buy it, though. He really hopes it stays this way, at least for now. He’s so far from getting close to him– like, this is literally their first date. Their first chance of getting to know each other. Everything will be according to his plans – that’s what Chanyeol tells himself to calm his fucking nerves. 

The bowling venue isn’t crowded. A couple friends here and there, all talking way too loud and screaming when one gets to score. Chanyeol likes it very much, this feeling of being able to arrive at a place as simple as this and not getting recognized by a single soul. It’s relieving, really. 

He glares at Baekhyun. He seems so tiny yet broad in his outfit. Okay, Chanyeol knows it doesn’t make any sense, but somehow that description fits the latter perfectly. He’s got this little side smirk on his face that breaks thoroughly the image of the sweet small boy Chanyeol first pictured him to be. 

“Okay, we need to get our proper shoes and head to the alley. I rented alley 4 for this evening. It’s that one at the corner – kind of away from this mess.”

“I like it, though. Makes this whole thing more fun. But I suppose alley 4 sounds great as well. Shall we?” Baekhyun jokingly offers his left arm for Chanyeol to hold, like a damsel of sorts. He’s totally here for it– he thinks, as he grabs a hold of his date’s soft arm. 

They request their bowling shoes by the counter and then head off to their alley. They have exactly one hour and a half for playing. Chanyeol helps Baekhyun with the size of the ball, since he has no idea of which is the right one for him. They end up choosing a purple ball for him, while Chanyeol gets a pink one. 

“Type Corgi in there. And Yoda. Like codenames.” Baekhyun says as Chanyeol is starting up the machine that registers their scores alongside their names. 

“Wait, what? No way.”

“Dumbo, then!” He exclaims, laughing like an idiot. Somehow that’s so cute that has Chanyeol’s stomach swirling with butterflies. 

“Okay, whatever. But why Corgi?”

“Don’t you think I kind of look like a puppy?” Chanyeol can’t deny that. “I actually have a dog called Mongryong and it’s an adorable fluffy corgi. So that’s why.”

“I see. Corgi it is.”

“You totally cheated there! I was winning!”

“Baekhyun, how would I cheat? It’s bowling!”

They laugh really hard as they head out the venue, both holding half-finished soda cups and sporting big white smiles on their faces. Chanyeol won the game, but it was clear from the start– Baekhyun sucks pretty bad at bowling. However, he insisted the latter had hacked the machine or whatever, since he wouldn’t stop scoring strike after strike. Meanwhile Baekhyun couldn’t even knock down more than six pins. Unfair. 

“How would I know? You’re the one that brought me here! You probably bribed the owner so the machine would always be in your favor…” 

“You don’t think I would do that, do you?”

“Oh, I don’t know... You’re still a complete stranger to me, Mr. Park Chanyeol” Baekhyun says these words very slowly, in a somewhat seductive way. What’s up with this dude, honestly… Chanyeol can only laugh at the latter. 

“It’s not like  _ I  _ know you that well either. So what do you say about changing that?”

He definitely can’t recognize himself anymore– being flirty? Since when is he like this? There is about a million things to think, but he only can imagine how Sehun would react to all of this. Would he say Chanyeol is taking all the shots with this random guy? To the point he’s trying to impersonate this image of him that is not completely truthful. Well, guess you could say that desperate times call for desperate measures after all. 

“I say I very much appreciate the idea.”

“Would you say you’d go out with me again?”

“Most certainly.”

“Thoughts on pizza?”

“Craving 24/7.” 

 

That’s how Baekhyun ends up sitting across Chanyeol, ordering pepperoni mushroom pizza. He admires how his date is so outgoing and polite to others, how he keeps constantly smiling at the waiter while he specifically asks for double mushrooms and chilli flakes. He is a bright presence, full of passion and full-time energy– which doesn’t turn out to be that overwhelming, contrary to Baekhyun’s beliefs. He’s actually really easy to talk to. 

“I just checked my front camera, and I know there isn’t anything weird on my face… So I’m really struggling to find out why you’re looking at me like that.”

Baekhyun blinks. Was he staring that hard? He didn’t even notice.

“I’ve read this psychology article that tells about how you can discover one’s true intentions on a date just by looking at their facial expressions. Therefore you could either tell one to piss off or go for it, depending on what their face has to tell you.” 

“What do you think my true intentions would be, then?”

Baekhyun pretends to think for a minute. He twitches his nose and pouts, making his date laugh. “Well… You are intending to pay for this little pizza party. You think splitting bills on a first date when you were the one who asked me out is rude. You think I’m cute… But everybody thinks so, you’re not that special. And you won’t take me to bed, at least not today. You think you have to conquer me first, so I’d trust you. You probably intend to top as well, but you would ask me beforehand if that’s okay, and would offer to bottom anytime if that’s what I’m into.”

“Wow.” Chanyeol being perplexed now is an understatement. 

“Yeah, that was a hell of an article.” He laughs it off. Baekhyun actually took some personality psychology classes during college, when he was pitying on himself for being rejected by SM Entertainment and being coerced by his mother to attend Business school. That turned out to be quite helpful later on with his previous relationships – if you could call it that. “Now you do me.”

“I what?” Chanyeol exclaimed, his eyes almost popping out of his face by the surprise. Oops. Baekhyun should’ve phrased it better. 

“I mean. Now you read me. Tell me what my true intentions are. Ah! And tell me what I was right about as well. Let’s see if I can apply to a psychic position at the café.”

“Well…” Chanyeol starts, a hint of a smile forming on the corner of his mouth. His eyes glisten. Oh, wow. Baekhyun is losing his shit once again and he can’t help but wonder if this is ever going to stop. He places his hands discreetly at his chest, feeling his heart fastening its beats. “I guess you were right at some of those allegations. I am paying for this, whether you like it or not.” Baekhyun snorts, which has Chanyeol smiling at him curiously. “I do think you’re cute, and it hurts me to know you’re not really considering it, since apparently I’m not that special…”

“Don’t be such a prick.”

“Yet with those compliments. I’m surprised you’re still able to make me stay at this point.”

“What can I say? It’s my charm.”

“Indeed.” He laughs and the corner of his eyes twitch. “We could just skip the taking you to bed part…” Baekhyun makes an unsatisfied sound at that. “And yeah, let me see… God, I’m terrible at this… Okay.” He takes a deep breath, as if he’s having some pep talk inside that brain of his. “You’re probably wondering why I asked for your number, and I bet you were a little angry with that friend of yours since he took the liberty to give it to me instead of you. You think I took long enough to ask you out. Since you were the one that ran after me that night and asked for my name, I would guess you’d want something to do with me… Perhaps not a romantic relationship, but some boning at its finest.” Baekhyun arches one brow up. “Don’t look at me like that. And I’d be up for it, as usual, but not this time. I don’t know if I’m getting my hopes up, but I really feel good being around you.”

Baekhyun is left speechless for a little while. He usually has something spicy to get back at someone during a conversation of sorts, however he really doesn’t know what to say. He guesses Chanyeol has that effect on him. At a first glance, he seemed shy and guarded, but now that he’s showing off his true charms, Baekhyun feels like he is the one who will be on the upper hand. 

“We could always change that.”

“Change what?” Chanyeol looks up and his eyes meet the latter’s. 

“I mean…” Baekhyun, shut up now. It’s your chance. Keep that stubborn mouth of yours shut tight and everything will turn out just fine... “We could just skip  _ to _ the taking me to bed part.”

 

“ _ Where are the goddamn keys? _ ” Baekhyun searches through his pockets for his apartment keys, while Chanyeol keeps kissing his neck and fumbling with his clothes. That truly just makes him more eager to find those fucking… “Found them!”

They rush into the small studio and Baekhyun doesn’t even have time to apologize for the utter messy state it is now before he’s being pressed against the wall by a body so bigger than his – that’s not completely true, but it sure feels like it. Chanyeol’s hands roam all over his back, finding their place on his waist at last. They feel warm and strong, but not enough to actually hurt him. He himself holds his hands around the latter’s nape, playing with his hair at the base. His fingertips bring chills to Chanyeol’s body. After all this touching and exploring, their eyes meet and it doesn’t take one second longer to have their lips meeting as well. 

Chanyeol’s mouth is soft and plump, which contrasts with his slightly thinner lips. Their bodies fit perfectly against one another, not an inch of space between them. When he feels a tip of a tongue making its way inside his mouth, Baekhyun loses it. He holds his nape with much strength than before and his date gets the message clearly, placing both hands under his thighs and lifting him up, his back pressing securely on the wall. Their tongues twirl at their own rhythm, slow but somewhat rushing. It’s sexy and it’s overwhelming. Baekhyun doesn’t know if he can hold himself for longer as he says “Let’s take this to bed.”

Chanyeol nods rapidly, his eyes deep and dark, nothing like he’s ever seen before. Usually they shine brightly, but now they’re clouded, hungry. For him.  _ For me _ . It’s that thought that urges him to pull the latter as fast as he can to his bed, making them fall over it and continue their make out session fervently. Chanyeol is above him, one hand on his hair and another on the curve of his low back. Why can’t he just slide that hand further? 

Baekhyun won’t wait for him to take an action on him. He holds Chanyeol’s hand and brings it to his ass. He feels their lips drifting apart and wide eyes burning holes at him. 

“It’s okay.” He reassures, as he holds that hand on his ass tighter. “I want this. Don’t you?” 

“I-I do.” 

That’s all it takes for their kissing to return to its prior. It’s even hotter than before, even more passionate. Baekhyun traces his fingers down to the brim of Chanyeol’s shirt. He hesitates before breaking the kiss so that he could remove the cloth piece above his head. The freezing air hits Chanyeol’s skin noticeably, since Baekhyun’s heater had found its way to the garbage tin a long time ago, therefore he takes off his own tee, throwing it on the floor where Chanyeol’s had encounter its same destiny. Skin to skin now, the room seems ten times warmer. 

Baekhyun circles his chest and places both hands on his back, pressing his naked chest to the latter’s and feeling his heart beating quickly. He can’t wait any longer- that’s what he tells himself as he slides his hands down to Chanyeol’s briefs. He feels him up and hears the taller moan, almost as if he’s melting under Baekhyun’s touches. It’s sensual and intimate and he just wishes he could stay like this forever…

“I can’t. I can’t do this.” Chanyeol declares as he puts some distance between them. Baekhyun opens his eyes hesitantly, even though he didn’t even remember closing them before. He’s definitely confused. He thought… Chanyeol wanted this. 

“Why… not?”

Chanyeol rubs his forehead, clearly upset. Baekhyun waits for an answer with an uncontrolled heartbeat. He is anxious and not sure why Chanyeol is looking so damn frustrated. He sits up and covers his naked chest with the sheets. Suddenly, he’s all flustered and probably regretting being in that position. Maybe he shouldn’t have given himself like that so soon. God, he feels slutty, and not in a good sexy way. 

“I just… This is new for me. I’m not much of a relationship kind of guy.”

“So you don’t want a relationship with me?”

“What? That’s not what I said! Like, at all!”

“Enlighten me, then!”

“I’m a fucking virgin!”

Oh. 

There’s nothing wrong about it, of course, but Baekhyun can’t say he was expecting it. Chanyeol gives off a dominant vibe, one he could notice from their earlier make out session. But this… actually explains a lot. Why he was so urgent about it and then got so nervous out of sudden. 

“I don’t care about this kind of stuff, you know?” Baekhyun declares, in a softer tone. He hates seeing his company so restless and impotent. Kinda freaks him out too. 

“But I do, that’s the point. And I think… Well... I meant it. What I said before.”

“You said a lot of things, Chanyeol” He tries to break the ice. The taller laughs quietly, but his eyes are so deep with confusion that it only breaks Baekhyun’s heart instead. 

“I really feel good around you. You’re kind and fun and, like, so fucking beautiful… I don’t know, I just feel like right now it’s not my time. I feel as if… you’d disappear right after, probably disappointed in me for not living up to your expectations.”

“Chanyeol…” 

“You don’t have to say anything. Just… Don’t leave now? We still could cuddle, if you’re up to it.” He whispers. And how could Baekhyun deny that puppy-like face towards him? He hugs Chanyeol by his waist and rests his head on the space between his neck and shoulder. He feels the same strong arms revolving his back and hums happily. He understands. He knows what Chanyeol is going through.

That’s why Baekhyun promises himself that he won’t ever let anyone hurt him. 

 

After that, they decide they should call it a night and Chanyeol orders a taxi because it’s too late to catch the train and his driver is already dismissed. He kisses Baekhyun’s cheek on his way out and he can see that he didn’t take his rejection that well. Only it wasn’t a rejection, at all. 

Okay, he knows he shouldn’t have lied, but it was too much pressure on him all of sudden. How was he supposed to tell Baekhyun he doesn’t want to have sex with him because he’s not exactly who he says he is? That would be so messed up, and Chanyeol is most certainly not in the mood for big revelations, not tonight (not ever, but he tries to pretend like it’s alright). 

The truth is he really likes Baekhyun. It doesn’t matter he is a hater or whatever, he’s such a nice and outgoing person. His looks are a bonus, a big one for that matter. He’s the whole package, and, well, nobody is perfect! He’s only human, after all. 

_ Oh God.  _ Only if Sehun could hear him now. 

It’s been two weeks already and Chanyeol haven’t heard a single word from Baekhyun. Since that little opprobrium of his, he couldn’t bring himself to call him either. He tells himself that he’ll send a message soon, but  _ soon _ never came. 

Throughout the week, he can’t focus at all, no matter how many times Sehun scold him. He’s just too distracted, mind full of what-ifs. Baekhyun haven’t texted, and what does that mean? Is he waiting for Chanyeol to reach him first? Is it too much? He feels like those dudes on movies that leave their partners the morning after their hookup. Only they didn’t do it. Stupid Chanyeol.  _ You’re worse than those guys, they at least tell the truth about their fucking identities _ .

“Chanyeol? Hey, are you even listening?” Sehun gets him out of his deadly train of thought by whispering, scaring the shit out of him. He’s been so dense about everything surrounding him that he even forgot that he was attending a goddamn meeting about this promotions with his management team and SM coworkers. 

“Yeah. My mind just flew around a bit. Please do continue.”

Sehun holds his gaze for a while, a suspicious look adorning his face, like he doesn’t buy his little excuse at all. Typical of his manager, always noticing even the smaller things. It’s really tough to work with someone like this, Chanyeol can’t lie. 

“So, we were talking about how it’s been harder and harder to promote your work living anonymously. We know it’s your only one request, but maybe it’s time for you to reconsider?” The representative of the label talks like a real businessman, but no matter how convincing is his argument, Chanyeol isn’t backing down on this. He  _ needs _ his privacy. 

“I’m not ready” Chanyeol reasons. He won’t say no right away, to look like he’s considering it when he’s not. Sehun knows that. He’d brought up that subject before, but the answer is always the same, and it’s not changing anytime soon. 

“Chanyeol… We’re losing sales. People want to see your face. They are sick and tired of not knowing the face they love so much. It kills the fans. The media was all up on us, but now even they are gone as well. These are all bad signs. We need to act up on it. Immediately.”

“JungYoon, we’ve discussed this plenty times already. How about we schedule some more radio interviews? Make the fans listen to his talking voice, maybe that will calm their nerves for now…”

“There, you said it. For now. But how long? For how long will they keep their interest? When will they give up being fans due to the fact that their idol refuses to show up? To reveal his face?”

Chanyeol feared he would hear something like that. But he kind of expected it already. His sales haven’t been so good, decreasing every other day as the weeks pass by. Although he just released a new EP, the pre-orders stopped at 200k and didn’t move up yet. It’s hard to believe everything’s starting to fall apart because of his fucking face. This situation really shows how screwed up are the social standards. At the end of the day, everything’s about beauty. 

The representative sighs deeply. He side-eyes his colleagues, all sitting by the round reunion table. They mostly look concerned, and it couldn’t be different, really. Chanyeol knows his situation is not ideal. It has never been. 

“Fine. We’ll schedule as many radio interviews we can, and maybe an appearance at King of Masked Singer. We’ll figure it out, but just know that these are all palliative measures. It’s not permanent, and this is our final grant. Next time, you should prepare yourself for a big reveal or for the worst. It’s up to you to decide which one of them it’ll be.”

  
  


Chanyeol is so not okay now. He surely hadn’t expected for the meeting to be this bad. It’s almost laughable. He should’ve have known better than to think his life would be easy as an idol. It’s not easy for anyone, why would it be for him? Such a pretentious way of thinking, so Chanyeol-wise. Not surprising. 

What is actually surprising is seeing Baekhyun standing outside of the SM building, looking all dreamy while his eyes roam up and down the levels. He’s cute as hell with his big blue coat that embraces his tiny figure– he’s not that tiny, but Chanyeol’s just so big when he’s beside him perfectly, a black beanie and a dark green scarf covering his mouth. He is glancing towards the entrance of the building as if he’s deciding if he should get in or not when he looks at him. Their eyes meet instantly and neither of them can pretend they didn’t see each other. There’s no escaping now. 

Baekhyun stares at the ground briefly before walking up to where Chanyeol is standing. His walk is shy yet quick, maybe because of the cold breeze. His eyes are looking anywhere but at him, and that’s when he knows Baekhyun didn’t call because he’s embarrassed as fuck. Good, that makes two of them.

“Hey. What a strange coincidence.” Chanyeol says first. He’s not wasting any more chances. Baekhyun smiles without showing his teeth, which only makes this whole situation even more awkward- if that’s possible. 

“Hi there. What are you doing around this area?” 

“I could ask you the same thing. You don’t live exactly close by.”

Baekhyun laughs it off, but doesn’t say anything. He looks troubled, like he’s choosing carefully which words to say next. Chanyeol needs to do something about this encounter, like, now. 

“What do you say we discuss this over coffee?” The flirting is smooth– he sure as hell hopes it is– and Chanyeol knows it’s lame, but he really can’t stand their relation as it is in this very moment. They’re not that close yet, but they’re not complete stranger, for god’s sake. “It’s on me, of course.”

“Well…” Baekhyun starts, a trace of a smirk decorating his rosy lips. They look so inviting, Chanyeol can’t help but stare. “You had me at coffee.” 

 

“This is just so weird” Baekhyun whispers while they sit and wait for someone to take their orders. He looks way more relaxed than he was earlier, so it makes Chanyeol cool out a bit. He’d brought his friend  _ slash  _ lover  _ slash  _ waiter  _ slash  _ confused to the nearest coffee shop, which turned out to serve one of the finest cups of coffee of Seoul. Not exactly the cheapest, though. 

“What is weird?” Chanyeol asks while he checks the menu.  _ Oh yes, I’ll definitely order a piece of red velvet cake.  _

“It’s been so long since I’ve drunk any coffee other than Minseok’s. I don’t even know what it’s going to taste like.”

“Probably not as good as Minseok’s. His coffee is like liquid heaven, I swear to god.” 

Baekhyun laughs. He looks so cute when he talks about stuff he really cares about. Chanyeol can see how much that coffee shop means to him. 

“So…” Baekhyun brings back the topic after they make their orders. “What were you doing at SM’s building?” 

“Oh, that.” Actually, Chanyeol’s been thinking about what to answer whenever this question comes up all the way to the coffee shop. “Work-related stuff. I’m a… writer-composer. Something like that.” 

“Wow, that’s so nice! I didn’t even know what you worked with. You should show me some of your compositions! For whom have you composed so far?” Baekhyun looks so excited that it surprises Chanyeol. 

“Uh… I’ve composed a couple of Taeyeon’s songs… and for D&E as well… and, ah, for Loey.”  _ What are you doing? _ “Do you know him?”  _ Shut the fuck up! _ “He’s kind of new to the industry.” There. He brought up the big issue. Oh my lord. 

“Uh, nice. I haven’t heard much from him. Actually, I never listened to any of his stuff. I guess this whole idea of anonymity doesn’t suit my style.” 

That’s… definitely not what Chanyeol was expecting. He was waiting for the worst looking face ever, and some tough words, maybe some criticism. But not this. He’s calm and collected. Not angry, not mad, just… cold. He doesn’t sound like a hater at all. 

“But I will check his sound as soon as possible. Since now I know who’s the real artist behind it” Baekhyun grins, like nothing’s happened. Like he doesn’t go ranting about him on twitter everyday. 

“You’ve never even heard Loey’s voice?”

“Nop. That’s a… strange question…”

Chanyeol holds himself from questioning any further. He’s on the verge of messing it up. “What about you? Had some errands to run?” He asks instead, diverging from the former topic.

“I— yeah.” Their orders arrive at the worst timing possible, just when Chanyeol thought he could take something out of him, since he looked so suspicious around the building earlier that afternoon. 

They eat silently for a while, trying from each other’s plates and sipping iced coffee. Everything tastes great, but it’s just not Kyungsoo’s cooking and Minseok’s coffee. Their talent culinary-wise is on another level. Baekhyun seems to enjoy it thoroughly, though. 

“Can I be honest with you?” Baekhyun asks after wiping his mouth with the expensive-looking napkin. His eyes divert to his hands resting on the table. His fingers are quite fidgety. Chanyeol gulps down.  _ Is this the time when I finally discover why he hates me? I mean, Loey?  _

Before he can say anything, Baekhyun jolts up from his seat, startling Chanyeol to the core. “Can we take a walk around the park?” It’s what he says. 

Chanyeol nods mildly, disguising his wild  beating heart inside his chest. 

 

Chanyeol hasn’t speak up once since they arrived at the nearest park, and it freaks Baekhyun out. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, but somehow it doesn’t scare him. Not anymore. 

“It’s not that deep” he starts, bringing back tons of old memories he wishes he could forget. But he can’t. “All my life I’ve wanted to be a musician, or at least work with something related to music. I can’t compose for the sake of my life, but I sing. And I love it so bad.” He falters. Chanyeol is looking at him with such intensity, and his eyes widen up when he catches the crack on his voice. 

“I didn’t know you could sing.”

“It’s not something I show around, really.” He laughs, dismissing the topic. He’s not telling Chanyeol any of this for self-pity, instead he’s putting his heart out in the open. “Anyways, we, as in my mother and I, didn’t have the money to pay for a vocal coach or anything similar, so I practiced alone. When I was sixteen, I decided to become an idol. I auditioned for almost all the companies you can imagine. Name one and I’ve probably auditioned there.”

“BlockBerry? Starship? Jellyfish?”

“I was kidding when I told you to name one, but… Yes, yes and twice.” Baekhyun laughs. Chanyeol is such a dork, making him feel light even when pouring his heart out like this. “I didn’t get accepted by a single one. And I guess you could say my mother wasn’t very supportive of me being a singer. She started to get mad and told me I should do something worthy. I was around nineteen when she said she wouldn’t sustain me financially anymore. I went through a really tough time.”

They stop and sit at a bench near a small lake. There are a couple families passing by or having picnics, but they are considerably far from the crowd. The sun is almost setting and the cold air has dissipated for a while. Chanyeol’s locks are swaying with the breeze and his eyes are so bright with the golden hour light that it has Baekhyun catching his breath. He inflates his lungs before carrying on with the story. 

“I thought I had no shots left. Until SM released a public announcement that they were pulling off one last audition for the season. They were looking for a trainee to become a solo artist. So I filled the form and sent it to them. I swear I’ve never worked harder in my whole life. I practiced almost 8 hours a day, and this went on for two m-months.”

Chanyeol holds his hands. His words are getting caught up in his throat. Remembering those times still opens this big hole in his chest, one he tried to cover like a million times. Nothing seems to work, honestly. 

“Then the big day came. I was ready, and so confident. I went there and sang like I’ve never sung before. I gave my soul to those judges. I had tears in my eyes when it ended, I really felt like I accomplished something.” He scoffs. Oh, how wrong was he. 

Chanyeol squeezes his hands. They are big and warm against his own. He feels… safe. And comfortable enough to share such a story. “What happened?” The taller asks, in his softest voice. It’s soothing and it calms Baekhyun’s heart a bit. 

“SM told me I went through the first phase. I was so fucking happy.” Baekhyun does nothing to hold back his tears at this point. He’s never told anyone about his and it  _ hurts _ . His heart hurts like someone is grabbing it and twisting it inside out. “However… the next week, when I was supposed to be called back for a second phase, they dismissed everyone, claiming they’d already found the perfect candidate.”

  
  


“He was an amateur musician who published covers and originals on Youtube.”

_ No. No. No no no no no.  _

“That’s why I refuse to listen to any of his songs. That’s why I… hate him so much. I’m sorry you have to hear this, since you work with him and all… But I hate Loey  _ so bad _ .”

Chanyeol is left in pure shock. He can’t believe this. 

“I… He took my last chance. He took it away from me. All that hard work was in vain. In the end, mom refused to pay for whatever it was that I needed, so I had to make my own money. I already knew Kyungsoo from college, and he worked at a coffee shop. He talked to his boss, you know, Minseok” He smiles briefly, as if reminding good memories, contrary to all the bad stuff he went through before. “ And I got the job as a waiter. It’s not enough, but it pays my bills. Now I live in a crappy apartment, no self-esteem or personal achievements whatsoever and in a constant existential crisis.” 

Baekhyun sighs deeply and wipes his tear away with the sleeve of his sweater, sticking out of his coat. His shoulders are trembling and Chanyeol feels like a piece of shit. He had no idea it was that bad. He thought it was just petty hatred, but it’s so much more than that. Baekhyun was truly wounded because of him and it makes him ache in more ways than one. 

“Chanyeol… what are we doing? What are  _ you  _ doing? What do you expect from me? I’m a fucking mess. I don’t know what I want. I’m so unhappy right now. I know I create this persona that is always jumpy and all smiles for everyone, but… I’m not this Baekhyun. I wish I could be, but I’m always lying to myself. I can’t be this guy you think I am… This is me. This fucking screwed up man. You should go away as fast as you can.” Drying up his tears a moment ago meant nothing, since he is a sobbing mess right now. His eyes are puffy and red and his cheeks are wet and glistening. 

He knows he shouldn’t. It’s like he’s taking advantage of him on such a vulnerable moment, but they say actions are more meaningful than words, so he holds Baekhyun’s face with both hands and kisses him. He can feel the smaller one’s tears wetting his face and his shaky fingers between his own. However, he doesn’t deepen the kiss, only pecking his lips softly. He pulls away and looks Baekhyun in the eyes. It takes all of Chanyeol’s strength to not cry, but he manages to only gulp down and speak his mind. 

“You’re not messed up. You’re an amazing, kind and beautiful person. You’re so humble and you light up any room the moment you step in. And it’s okay that you’re not okay now. You’ll figure it out, and I’ll be here for you. I can’t help you if you don’t help yourself first. You have to love yourself before anyone loves you. And I’m sure there are plenty of people that love you.”

Baekhyun frowns before swallowing his tears. Chanyeol really hopes they are happy, though. He caresses his face and kisses his forehead. Baekhyun comes close to his chest and Chanyeol takes it as a sign that he wants to be hugged, so he does it. They fit perfectly in each other’s arms. 

Maybe now it’s the time to tell him the truth. That’s what Chanyeol thinks, but something is stopping him. Perhaps it’s the way Baekhyun seems to have calmed down his restless heart and he doesn’t want to ruin the moment, which he’d certainly do by telling him such thing.  _ I am Loey. I am the guy you hate so much. But hey, do you want to be my boyfriend?  _ Yeah, great approach. 

“ _ Thank you.” _

It’s low, like a whisper. But it’s there. Chanyeol bites his lip hard to hold back the freaking stubborn tears. 

  
  


Their relationship only evolved since that talk at the park. 

Baekhyun is constantly at Chanyeol’s place, either binge watching Netflix and ordering cheap pizza or making out with him. His clothes are everywhere at his apartment, he has a spare toothbrush and already has chosen the side of the bed he wishes to sleep on. They still haven’t done  _ it _ , but it’s not like Chanyeol’s complaining. They do other… stuff.

“Oh  _ my god. _ ”

“Is it good?” Baekhyun asks as he looks up. His hair is messy and his mouth is so red and wet with saliva and  _ pre cum _ . Chanyeol swears he’s never seen anything so damn sexy in his life. He releases the hold of Baekhyun’s locks and fondles his cheek. 

“It’s amazing,  _ please _ go on.”

Baekhyun smirks and goes back into action. The sounds are so obscene– he slurps without a care in the world as he sucks Chanyeol’s dick up and down. He’s so,  _ so hard _ and probably on the verge of an orgasm. He grabs Baekhyun’s hair and makes him go faster. 

The man between his legs puts both his hands on Chanyeol’s thighs to hold himself from the gag reflex, so the taller eases the hold up a bit, unable to contain his own moans as he closes his eyes. Baekhyun grabs the base of the girth and strokes it quickly, setting up a pace. When Chanyeol opens his eyes and sees his lover touching himself as he sucks the life out of him, he can’t help but pull Baekhyun up to his lap. 

He kisses him hard while he strokes both of their erections with one hand and squeezes Baekhyun’s ass with another.  The latter moans in the most sexual way possible and that only impulses Chanyeol to do it faster .

It’s incredible how Baekhyun can turn him on so bad. His mouth, his neck, his body… Everything’s just perfect, from his milky white skin to his pink nipples and cute little butt. The desire hits them so strong that it has them both coming simultaneously. Baekhyun trembles and groans loudly as his cum drips out of his cock, landing on his stomach. The same occurs to Chanyeol and he has to rest his back against the couch to catch his breath again. Their chests go up and down quickly and they look at each other with enamored eyes. 

“That was… interesting.”

“Yeah” Baekhyun agrees, a grin plastered all over his blushy face. “We should do it again.” 

“ _ You mean now _ ?”

Baekhyun laughs  exaggeratedly  and it’s the best sound in the whole world. Chanyeol joins him, showing him his biggest smile. He feels those damn butterflies, as cliché as it sounds. “No, you big moron. My dick can’t take anymore stimulation. But definitely soon.” 

“That’s something to look forward to.” 

Baekhyun grabs Chanyeol by the neck and kisses him right then and there, smile never leaving his face. They don’t even realize it’s gotten deep until they are all over each other again. “Or we could do it now.” 

  
  


The next time they hang out, Chanyeol brings Baekhyun to his personal studio, removing all Loey-related stuff before inviting him in, of course. At this point of their relationship, he’s not taking any risks. They’ve been together for almost two months now and it’s been so perfect– he really doesn’t want to spoil it just yet. 

“Oh, wow.” Baekhyun is in awe when he steps into the small room, located right above an old book store two blocks away from Sweet Tooth Café. Chanyeol has chosen that specific spot because it is just so quiet downstairs. He’d consider making his studio in his own flat, but he’d probably get distracted by every little sound, since he lives in quite an agitated neighborhood. He is so lucky to have found this place. “It’s so cool. You actually know to handle with all this equipment? It looks so pro.”

“Are you really calling me an amateur inside my own studio? Please get out.” Chanyeol jokingly gets offended and laughs it off when Baekhyun seems to get flustered. 

“N-no! I mean, it looks so hard, that’s all!” 

“Chill out, babe. Come, have a sit. I’ll show you how I make music.” 

“That suddenly sounds so sexual.” 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. Baekhyun’s really something. He leaves a peck on the lips of the pouty little man and pulls a chair for him to sit beside him. They play around with some beats and mix up different melodies. Chanyeol guides his lover through the process, telling him exactly what to do and where to click. 

“We should record something. Wait, I have some lyrics from old song ideas somewhere, let me search for them.”

“What, no!” 

Chanyeol stops. 

“Why not, Baek?”

Baekhyun blushes, and he can’t tell if it’s because he called him by a nickname or if it’s because of his request. “I… I haven’t sung in such a long time. I don’t recall how to do it anymore…”

“That’s bullshit. I’m sure you can sing like an angel.  _ Please, baby _ .” He asks in his best lost-puppy voice and that seems to make Baekhyun reconsider, although he’s still hesitating. “Found it.” Chanyeol announces, as he pulls a notebook out of one of the drawers. 

“ _ With You _ . Hm, is this a love song?”

“Maybe. Sing and figure it out” He challenges. Baekhyun bites his lower lip and coughs lowly. Then he opens his mouth. 

“ _ When I look at the stars shining brightly _

_ It almost feels like I’m looking at you _

_ You’re like everything that shines bright _

_ When the night sky grows dark _

_ The whole world is sparkled with light. _ ”

Chanyeol is left speechless. Baekhyun’s voice is the most beautiful thing he’s ever listened to. It’s truly heaven made. He wishes he could listen to it for the rest of his lifetime. 

“Chanyeol, these lyrics… They are so beautiful. You have to finish this.”

“No, no. You don’t get to compliment me here. Oh my god? You’ve been singing like that this whole time and you’ve never thought to tell me about it? You’re so selfish! Keeping the Eighth Wonder all to yourself!” 

Baekhyun smiles widely. One can tell singing is really his passion. His faces lightens up and he glows so bright when singing the verses. “Thank you. I’m not that great, really…”

“What the actual fuck? You have literally the best singing voice ever, who is Whitney Houston beside you?!” 

“Now you’re clearly taking this out of proportion. Don’t come at Queen Whitney now. She’s a legend.” He frowns, but he’s so happy he can’t even hide it. Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun into his lap like a habit and embraces him, crushing the latter with his arms. “Chanyeol! Let me go, I can’t breathe!”

“Oh, but you certainly  _ can _ , since you’re talking so much!” He hugs him and leaves smooches all over his face. Baekhyun refuses to give up without a fight as he starts tickling Chanyeol everywhere. The taller laughs so hard that he jolts and makes them both fall onto the floor, but even that can’t stop Baekhyun from his tickling attack. “Stop, stop,  _ stop _ ! I surrender, I surrender!” 

Baekhyun stops and catches his breath. His lungs hurt from laughing so hard. Then he realizes he’s on top with Chanyeol and he can’t help the color coming to his cheeks and neck. The composer sits up and grabs Baekhyun by the waist. He’s so close and yet so far.  _ He should come closer. _

“Hey there, beautiful.” Chanyeol whispers on his ear, making him shiver. 

“Chan” Baekhyun starts, bringing his hand to rest on the taller’s neck, slowly caressing the sensitive skin with the tip of his fingers. “What are we?”

“Well, I don’t know what we are  _ now _ , but I know what I want us to be.”

_ Really smooth move, Chanyeol. _

“And what is it?”

Chanyeol tilts Baekhyun’s chin up and kisses his mouth. His eyes are overflowing with affection and his lips are curved into a subtle smile. That’s it. That’s the moment he’s been waiting for. 

“Can I be your boyfriend?” He asks. Baekhyun seems to be unresponsive, possibly because he’s shy or he didn’t see that coming- either way, he repeats himself. “Can I?”

“I… I’d love to be your boyfriend.”

  
  


Sehun is at his office when Chanyeol comes barging in. It’s been three months since the release of Loey’s EP and the sales couldn’t be worse, really. The media isn’t helping either, publishing sensationalist articles and coercing his fans to plead for some public appearance, and not as in radio interviews, but live shows without a mask. 

As the manager, Sehun’s been doing what’s within his reach to promote Loey’s work. However it’s been getting harder and harder, when the only thing Chanyeol cares about now is…

“Can I bring Baekhyun as my escort to SM’s Christmas party?”

Sehun sighs and rolls his eyes. He’s been doing it a lot these days, especially when it comes to Chanyeol’s little boyfriend. There is so much work to do and the idol is literally putting his entire career at risk because of a boy. Oh, a little detail: this boy is  _ his fucking anti-fan _ . 

Chanyeol claims Baekhyun’s been considerably less active on twitter about Loey since they started dating, but it really doesn’t matter. At some point, this whole situation will go downhill and Sehun will be the one cleaning the mess. 

“I can’t stand hearing his name anymore. For god’s sake, Chanyeol! It’s Baekhyun this, Baekhyun that, all the freaking time! You have a lot to worry about– your sales, your fans, your career as a whole, but all you do is blabber about this guy!”

“Don’t talk about Baekhyun like that. He’s everything to me.”

Sehun scoffs. Unbelievable.

“Really? You’re willing to give up on everything you’ve ever dreamed of just because you’re in love? I won’t let you do this to yourself.”

“You don’t know anything about me!” Chanyeol yells, startling Sehun. He wasn’t expecting that rage attack all of sudden.

“I know everything about you.” Sehun talks coldly. “I know you better than anyone. I’m not only your manager, I’m your friend. And I worry about you.”

Chanyeol shakes his head angrily. He is clearly frustrated.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t keep doing this.”

“What do you mean?” 

“You and Baekhyun. You have to tell him the truth. As soon as you can, before you hurt him any longer, or worse, before  _ you _ get hurt.” Sehun softens his tone, hoping for a more understanding reaction from his idol. Chanyeol sits down, head low and shoulders shaking. 

“I can’t.” He whispers, like he’s embarrassed of saying it out loud. 

“Cut the crap, Chanyeol. Not only you can do this, but you  _ need _ to. You...  You’re crying?” Sehun stops his scolding when he sees the idol himself sobbing like a baby. He looks more desperate than anything, and it confuses the hell out of Sehun. 

“He… Baekhyun’s not just a hater, Sehun. You don’t understand. His life is a mess, and  _ it’s because of me _ .”

“How could it ever be because of you?”

Chanyeol sniffs loudly and wipes his running nose with his shirt sleeve. He looks lost and confused and Sehun decides he needs to listen to what he has to say, without judgements whatsoever. 

“He told me why he’s currently working at the café. You think being a waiter was always his dream life?” Chanyeol scoffs through the tears. “He wanted to be a fucking singer. And he auditioned for SM, at the time when I was discovered by a talent scout through my youtube channel… SM dropped the auditions because they found  _ me _ .”

Sehun still doesn’t understand what it has to do with Baekhyun’s failure in the music industry, and it probably shows on his face, since Chanyeol resumes his little speech. “It was his last chance. He auditioned like a million times, and his mother didn’t have the money to afford a vocal coach, so Baekhyun had to do all by himself. He worked himself to death, only to be totally neglected by the company. All  _ I  _ had to do was to sign some papers and then I was under the label, zero effort, only recording songs for fun. It wasn’t my dream to be an idol.”

“So you wish you’d never signed the contract?”

“That’s not what I said. It’s just… It feels like I’m stealing it away from him. He deserved to be here, not me. You should’ve seen his face, Sehun… He’s still hurting.  _ It fucking kills me. _ ” 

Sehun breathes deeply. Seeing Chanyeol like this breaks his heart, especially when he’s not in position to tell him what to do, not this time. 

“Chanyeol, I don’t know how deep are Baekhyun’s wounds, but you should know it’s not your fault. You didn’t know, you just did something anyone would have done in your place– you accepted the opportunity that was given to you. There’s nothing wrong with that. And I’m sorry, but if Baekhyun doesn’t realize that, then maybe he’s not the one for you. That’s why you should tell him who you are. You have to do it, whether you like it or not.”

“It’s easier said than done. He’s gonna hate me for real, more than he hates Loey, I’d bet. And I… I think I love him, Sehun.”

Okay, he did not see that one coming. He’s always taken Chanyeol for a stubborn drama queen, so he thought Baekhyun was just a phase. Now, he can see the real proportion this situation is taking. It’s big to the point it could really ruin his career. Actually Sehun only sees it now: if Baekhyun really hates Loey the way he says he does, then telling him the truth is probably not the best idea. What if he tells everyone who Chanyeol is? What if he blows up his three-years-long cover?  _ That  _ would be something to talk about. 

“We need to think this through, Chanyeol. Do you trust him?” 

He nods, sniffing once again. 

“Then you tell him. I’ll deal with possible unfortunate events, if they are to occur. Let’s hope not, but you can never be too prepared.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you can trust him all you want, but I won’t, as your manager. If you want to keep anonymous, then you need to be as careful as you can. The media is all over you, Chanyeol. They are desperate for clues, and a guy with a broken heart is capable of anything.”

Chanyeol fixes his posture. “You think Baekhyun would spill about my identity?”

“I don’t know.” Sehun glances at Chanyeol, whose face is clearly upset and all types of confused. “That’s why I won’t trust him.” 

 

Baekhyun is cleaning up his dusty flat when his phone beeps. A hint of a smile is already adorning his face when he checks who texted him. It’s become so natural for him to feel his heart racing up whenever something related to Chanyeol happened. God, he’s in deep. He unblocks his phone and his stomach swirls with excitement when he reads its content. 

 

[ love <3 ]

_ hey babe :) _

_ the label is throwing a Christmas party on the 23th, would you like to come with me? _

_ don’t feel like you have to, it’s not a big deal _

_ i mean, it is, but you totally don’t have to come if you’re busy _

_ i’ll shut up now _

_ please go  _

_ ok bye _

 

Baekhyun laughs as he reads the bunch of texts his boyfriend sent him. He’s so dumb it’s cute. Of course he will go! Anything that is important to Chanyeol it’s important to him as well, and he would love to be there for him. And besides, he’ll get to see how SM parties are actually like. 

Thinking about the company was supposed to hurt him, but now it’s just a small sting compared to the avalanche of hard feelings it used to be. After he told Chanyeol everything, his heart is light and his consciousness is clean. Those memories are on the past, where they were meant to be since day one. He’s actually looking forward to going to the party. Chanyeol will be so glad to hear that, he’s sure of it. 

 

[ baekhyun ]

_ of course i’m coming, bubs _

_ what should i wear :p _

[ love <3 ]

_ well, you look your best in that birthday suit… _

_ ;))) _

[ baekhyun ]

_ haha aren’t u a smart mouth  _

_ i mean it tho _

_ i never attended a party like this _

[ love <3 ]

_ it’s formal, so wear a suit or a tux or smth  _

_ i think you’re beautiful even wearing crocs, so _

[ baekhyun ]

_ what r u, the fashion police?  _

_ leave my crocs out of this!  _

_ they are so comfy _

[ love <3 ]

_ yeah and they pair up so good with those white socks, don’t they? _

[ baekhyun ]

_ i hate you  _

[ love <3 ]

_ if you hate me, then who will think you’re cute with crocs on?? _

[ baekhyun ]

_ yup, definitely hate u _

[ love <3 ]

_ so… _

_ see you soon? _

 

Baekhyun grins like a fool while texting. His heart is fluttering and he literally feels like he could float in the air. Chanyeol has that effect on him, and it’s been getting stronger and stronger. It should scare him, but… it just doesn’t. 

The truth is that Baekhyun never really took his dates as serious as now. It’s always been casual flings here and there, and even though it’s all so new to him, it doesn’t make him nervous, well, at least not anymore. Chanyeol makes him feel safe above all things, and this is what he likes most about his boyfriend. He’s caring and devoted and makes him feel special. He only hopes Chanyeol feels the same way about him. He tries his best to be a good boyfriend as well, however there’s no way he could ever reach his level. The taller is all made of boyfriend material indeed. 

Okay, but where the hell is he supposed to find a tuxedo? He hasn’t owned one since his college years, and it’s long gone now– he has sold it a few months ago, when he was in desperate need of money to pay the bills. He’ll have to ask Kyungsoo for his help. But that’s a minor issue he can solve, even if he has to spend months of his savings to rent a suit. 

[ baekhyun ]

_ yeah _

_ see you soon :) _

Two mornings after their little texting thing, Baekhyun finds himself at Kyungsoo’s place, trying on different suits. Jongdae is also present, although he doesn’t have the best taste in clothes out of the three men. They end up choosing a dark red velvet suit and black pants, along with a black shirt and “No tie, it’ll look like you’re trying too hard,” according to the cook. Baekhyun is actually really happy with their choice of wardrobe. 

The party is set to take place tomorrow night, and he hasn’t seen Chanyeol through the whole week, since he claimed he was super busy with work. He believed it, mostly because everytime they facetimed each other, his boyfriend was at his personal studio, looking a lot like a zombie, surrounded by bags of chips and empty pizza boxes. He must be tired as hell. 

Baekhyun arrives home after work that night and throws himself on the couch, breathing way too loud, but hey, he leaves alone, so who would judge him? He grabs his phone and opens the Twitter app. He hasn’t checked it in a long time, and it probably is because of Chanyeol. Since the taller told him he’s worked with Loey before, he doesn’t feel like ranting about him anymore. Like, it’s his boyfriend’s songs, for crying out loud. 

He’s had plenty of time to think about it either. He kind of had this big existential crisis, in which he had this one particular thought. Maybe he shouldn’t be blaming Loey for his failure,  after all. It’s not like he even knew Baekhyun was auditioning. And for what he’s read on articles about him, he was scouted by SM, and it was totally unplanned. Yeah. Baekhyun likes to believe he’s becoming more mature about this stuff, and he truly wishes he would stop being so petty about an idol. If only it was as easy as it sounds. 

He scrolls through the timeline and finds himself disgusted at what he sees. There’s literally hate every other tweet, especially from his mutuals. Baekhyun just can’t believe he used to like and retweet all this crap. He suddenly feels sorry for this ‘Loey’ guy. He can’t even stand up for himself and is constantly bashed by freaking antis. 

So he decides he should put this behind him for good. He deactivates his account, and it’s like this major weight leaves his shoulders immediately. It’s kind of refreshing, really. Baekhyun thinks that now, with Chanyeol, he’s capable of doing everything. 

  
  


“Oh my god.”

“Is it too much? Too little? Should I change?” Baekhyun blabbers, but Chanyeol can’t utter a single word. His boyfriend is the most gorgeous person on the planet, how lucky is he?

“You’re stunning. Like, literally glowing. I bet the stars are so envying you right now.” Chanyeol doesn’t take it easy with the compliments. His heart is filled with pure adoration to the extent he feels like it could burst out anytime now. 

“You’re clearly exaggerating. But thanks. You look really beautiful too.”

Chanyeol kisses his boyfriend’s lips softly and opens his car’s door for him to get in. Baekhyun smiles and winks at him before entering. They drive slowly, taking their time to get to the party, while singing loudly to pop songs on the radio and chatting and laughing and just being so damn happy. 

They arrive at the party location and it’s crowded with expensive cars and even a valet parking. There is a red carpet extended on the floor all the way to the main entrance, and all types of celebrities walk over it, with chins up and elegant outfits glowing with the flashes of cameras. 

“Wow… This is huge. I don’t know why, but I’d never thought about who I would see here! Oh my god, it’s NCT, look!” 

Chanyeol laughs and shakes his head. Baekhyun’s enthusiasm is freaking cute. 

He parks right in front of the red carpet “catwalk” and handles his keys to the valet parking chauffeur. Then he encircles his arm with Baekhyun’s and, together, just like that, they walk through the ocean of lights. 

“Are you sure we’re allowed to be here?” Baekhyun whispers as they walk down the huge red carpet. Chanyeol actually had the same doubt as him, but Sehun reassured he had the same rights as any other idol, even if nobody knows who he actually is. And he can’t deny he’s a bit nervous as well, not used to being around so many cameras. At times like this, he is grateful for living in anonymity. 

“Yeah, don’t worry. We have to go in anyway, don’t we?”

“I suppose.” 

Sehun is right by the entrance and Chanyeol takes the chance to introduce Baekhyun. 

“Sehun, this is Baekhyun, my boyfriend.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, I’ve heard much about you.” Sehun says, sporting a smile on his lips, but never getting out of posture. He really is a tough guy. 

“It’s my pleasure. So, you’re Chanyeol’s colleague or something?” Baekhyun asks, sounding actually super interested. 

“Or something.” Sehun answers, laughing briefly. “I’m Loey’s manager. You’ve heard of him, right?” He asks, and Chanyeol feels his blood getting cold all of sudden. Oh god, did he really have to go there? “He’s… quite a big deal around here.”

Baekhyun smiles disappear for a fraction of second, but it’s time enough for Chanyeol to notice. He clearly isn’t over it yet, and that makes the idol’s heart beat like crazy, not in a good way, though. “Of course. How couldn’t I?” 

“Well, I should get going. I have an issue to discuss with my superiors. Enjoy the party!” Sehun says his goodbyes and leaves them alone. 

“Nice… guy.” Baekhyun comments hesitantly. 

“I promise he is when you get to know him better. He’s a cold guy around strangers. He’ll love you soon enough, I swear!” Chanyeol explains. Baekhyun sends him an skeptical look but questions no further. “Let’s get some booze.”

This seems to lighten up the mood. The couple heads to the bar and orders fruity drinks. They have the same taste for alcohol– really sweet and strong enough to knock them down after three shots. Before they could order another round, a woman shows up behind Chanyeol and Baekhyun widens his eyes like he’s seen a ghost. Confused, Chanyeol turns around and sees Taeyeon standing proudly, wearing the fanciest bright red gown ever. Oh no. She’s literally the only idol that knows his true identity– which she discovered by accident, by the way (she can be really selective about who is composing her songs, and with Chanyeol it was not different). There couldn’t be a worse person to show up. 

“Chanyeol, sweetie! I didn’t know you were coming! You never show up for events like this!” She says in a thrilled tone. Then she recognizes Baekhyun’s presence. “Oh, and who do we have here? I’m Kim Taeyeon, and you must be…?”

But she gets no response, only incoherent mumbling sounds. Chanyeol decides he should answer for him. “Byun Baekhyun! He’s my… boyfriend.” He declares slowly, not certain of what reaction he should be expecting from her. “And a fan of yours.” He adds quickly. 

“Boyfriend? Oh my god, isn’t that the cutest thing ever? I’m so happy for you! Finally all those love song of yours have a muse to be inspired from, right Lo–?”

“Haha, yes! Finally! Anyways, Baekhyun!” Chanyeol interrupts her before she says anything she shouldn’t. That was close. “Why don’t you tell about your favorite Taeyeon album?”

“Y-yes! I love ‘My Voice’ so bad! It’s the greatest album in history!” He exclaims, like a little excited puppy. Taeyeon laughs.

“That’s so sweet! Especially coming from Chanyeol’s boyfriend. You should know what good music is.” She praises and Chanyeol blushes. Her compliment is very important to him, considering her influence on the industry. 

“Yeah, he wrote a couple of your songs, right? Funny, I don’t actually know which ones…” Baekhyun frowns his eyebrows, but relaxes them right after. Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat. 

“Yes, but I was referring to his own–”

“Taeyeon! How is Tiffany? Have you talked to her recently? Is she enjoying America?” Chanyeol tries his best to change the subject. Taeyeon is definitely crossing some lines without even knowing it. 

They chit-chat for a bit, and even Baekhyun seems a little more comfortable around her. They laugh and joke around, and the next minute Taeyeon is called up on stage to sing some of her Christmas songs. She excuses herself and then they are left alone again. Chanyeol comes closer to Baekhyun’s chair and holds his hand. The touch send chills through his spine. 

“Are you having a good time?”

“Yeah” Baekhyun says genuinely. “Thank you for inviting me.” It’s just a simple sentence, but it seems so much more than that. Chanyeol goes in for a kiss and Baekhyun whispers something that sends him reeling. 

“ _ Thank you for being in my life _ .” 

  
  


The party ends without any more interferences and they decide to call it a night. They head to Chanyeol’s place on an uber, given the fact that both of them drank and none were in the mood to cause an accident. They snuggle the whole way, whispering sweet words into each other’s ears. The alcohol is getting to their heads, but they don’t really care. 

That’s what Baekhyun tells himself when he finds himself under Chanyeol on his bed, making out furiously. His boyfriend’s hands are roaming all over his body and he can already feel his blood heading south. It certainly doesn’t help when his ass is suddenly being squeezed. Chanyeol’s lips trace a path from his neck to his now uncovered chest, biting and kissing his pink nipples. 

“Hm, please don’t stop.” He begs quietly. Chanyeol palms his erection and Baekhyun just can’t contain the moan that escapes his mouth. 

“Don’t hold yourself back. I want to hear.” The taller whispers, his husky voice turning into the most sexy sound in the world. Baekhyun pulls his hair as a silent plead.

When Chanyeol’s hands get to the brim of his borrowed pants, his eyes widen abruptly. What if they go all the way when his boyfriend isn’t even ready? He doesn’t want to be that kind of partner, not in a million years. 

“Babe… Do you want this? Like, do you really want this? I’m totally willing to wait for you, you know that, right?” Baekhyun manages to speak, even though his voice starts slurring a little. He is truly concerned– Chanyeol’s needs are his top priorities. 

“Baek, look at me.” He does. The taller’s eyes are staring so hard at him that he feels small, like he’s exposing the most vulnerable version of himself. It’s not a bad feeling, just… different. “I want to do this, because… well… I love you.”

“What?” Did he hear that correctly? Did he just say… “You love me?”

“Yes” He laughs. His eyes are glowing. He can sense the adoration filling Chanyeol’s glare. It’s overflowing and he’s never felt so damn good. 

“I love you too.” 

And they could swear the kiss they shared next, which was followed by much more action, have never felt so damn sweet. It’s like they were meant for each other– they belong in each other’s arms, more than any place in the world. 

  
  


“Tell me again why we took so long to do it?” Chanyeol jokes, embracing Baekhyun by the waist while he rests his head on the taller’s chest. His lover laughs and he laughs along. He’s so so so happy. But although he just had the time of his life, he couldn’t be completely into it. Sehun’s words don’t  _ ever _ leave his fucking brain. 

“You’re such a dumbass.” 

“Thank you, I try my best.” He pretends everything is okay, but his mind is terribly conflicted. How will Baekhyun react? Will he hate him forever? Will he ever forgive him? He’s been lying this whole time and he doesn’t want to lie anymore. Not when he feels like he’s found his soulmate, for god’s sake! He needs to do something about it. But how to do it without hurting his loved one? 

“Your heart is speeding up. Are you alright, babe?”

_ Yeah, everything’s fine. Don’t worry. Except it’s not. Nothing’s okay. I’ve been pretending to be someone I’m not, or rather I’ve been pretending not to be someone I actually am and it’s freaking me out and why did I ever do it in the first place? Oh my god oh my god . _

“I’m Loey.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Chanyeol fills his lungs and says it again. “I’m Loey.”

Baekhyun sits up. He’s looking at him with trembling lips. “This is not funny, Chanyeol. Why would you say that? You know what it means to me…”

“I’m saying it because it’s true. And I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. Baekhyun, I love you. I love you more than anything in the world. And I wouldn’t be fair to you if I kept this secret any longer.”

Baekhyun is frozen. He just keeps staring at him with confused eyes. 

“Look, let me explain.”

“Please do.”

“I…” How is he going to tell everything? This is way harder than he pictured it to be. “I found your anti-fan account on Twitter. Baekbyun. I didn’t understand how someone could hate me so bad without even knowing me… So I just had to take an action upon it. There was… an exposing thread about you, I guess? Some random person posted about who you were in real life and where you worked… And I had to see you with my own eyes. I just couldn’t believe someone so small and cute could have so much hate to spread.” 

Baekhyun covers his mouth. There are silent tears rolling through his cheeks. Chanyeol sticks out his fingers to dry them out, but his boyfriend moves away from his touch. 

“So I… decided to make you like me. I didn’t intended to fall for you, though… You’re so incredibly sweet and funny and everything I could’ve asked for. Nothing like what I was expecting you to be. But I needed to know why. Why you hated me. I needed to change that.”

Chanyeol only notices he’s crying when his tears start to wet his cheeks. He quickly wipes them away, since he doesn’t think he’s in position to be the one crying now. He doesn’t want Baekhyun to see him like this. For god’s sake, he should be the one who would be strong enough for the two of them. He’s promised himself that he would help his boyfriend to get his shit together, but look at him.  _ Pathetic _ . 

“I’m not asking you to forgive me. I’ve lied to you. I’ve hidden my true identity. I just want you to know that, from the moment I saw you in that café, I’ve never once stopped thinking about you. I’ve never planned to do you wrong. I wanted us to be friends… But how couldn’t I fall for a person like you?” 

“Stop that!” Baekhyun yells, crying way much louder now. He seems desperate, Chanyeol can see it in his face– he doesn’t know what to do. “Stop making me look like I’m the one to blame! I don’t care if you had the best intentions. Fuck, you  _ lied  _ to me!”  

“I know, I know! But what did you expect me to do? Tell you right then and there that I was Loey and ask you to stop hating on me through social media? You would’ve laughed at my stupidity!” 

Baekhyun shuts up. His glare wanders around the room and his chest moves up and down abnormally fast. Chanyeol is fighting too hard to stop himself from getting to him and holding him for life. “Tell me how to fix this. I don’t want to lose you.”

That’s when Baekhyun looks up. His eyes seem to pierce through his soul. That look. It hurts more than anything. The look of someone truly disappointed.  _ I’ve let him down for real _ . 

“I don’t know if there is a way to fix all this. I mean… Chanyeol, I’ve talked so much shit about you, I’ve hated you for so long and now this. You’re Loey.”

“I don’t care! It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“But  _ I _ care! How do you think this makes me feel? I love you  _ so so _ much and… I used to hate you more than anything! Without even knowing it was you,  _ Chanyeol _ , that I hated.” Chanyeol takes this moment to get closer to him. Baekhyun flinches, but doesn’t move away. He embraces his small looking boyfriend in his arms hesitantly, scared of pushing him away. Baekhyun leans into his chest and cries cries cries. 

“H-how could you fall for me?” He asks in a quiet broken voice. “Even though you knew who I was and what I did.... How could you still love me?”

“I don’t know either. I just thought we clicked so well. I loved being around you and you’re my best friend. I guess I’ve never thought it could go wrong. That  _ we _ could go wrong. I still don’t think about it.” He answers honestly. 

“I’m so confused and angry and sad, all at once. But–” Baekhyun glances at him, adorning glassy eyes and red cheeks. “I don’t want to lose you too. Fuck it, Chanyeol. I’m in too deep to back down now.”

“Are you sure? I don’t think what I’ve done is fair. I’d totally understand if you need time. This is a lot to absorb…”

“For the first time in my life, I get to choose if I want something or not. And, even though you fucked up and  _ I _ fucked up, I still want us to work it out. I want you… I just need some time to sort things out.”

  
  


“Baek, are you alright? You seem a little down these past few days.” Jongdae questions him when they’re wrapping up for the night after a long day of work at the café. He’s currently wiping the floors as his friend cleans the tables. 

“Is it about Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo wonders, as that’s all it takes for Baekhyun to break down. He’s been holding it well for the week, but it’s been really hard not to answer Chanyeol’s texts. He knows he said before that he wanted to be with him, but still… that was one big of a revelation. Big enough for him to stay out of the scene for a couple days. “Minseok? Come here.” 

Kyungsoo makes them all sit around the table he was previously cleaning and as he holds Baekhyun’s hands, he demands. “Come on. Spill.”

Baekhyun breathes hard  and starts telling them all about his little love story with Chanyeol. He doesn’t spare any details– or almost any– and by the time he is done, everyone is clearly shocked. No one would ever expect that, after all. Saying it all out loud makes him feel so much better somehow. It’s like he just got rid of all the insecurities living in his heart, at least for now. And now it’s something already. 

“So Chanyeol is Loey… Wow. What are you going to do?” Kyungsoo asks. Baekhyun chuckles, a bitter taste filling his mouth. 

“If only I knew. I’m so confused. He hurt me, but I did the same to him, a million times before. And he had to go through it all alone, because I wasn’t there. I was the one harming him in the first place! Oh god… What the fuck am I doing to do with this mess?” 

“Dae? What’s with that face?” Minseok points out. Jongdae fixes his posture and gulps down. He is looking really troubled.

“I don’t know, I feel like this whole situation is my fault, since I was the one who gave him your number.” He confesses, staring right at Baekhyun, who’s caught by surprise. “I really thought he was a nice guy. Guess I was wrong.”

“No. He  _ is  _ a nice guy. I’m not. Sure, he lied, but I keep thinking of what I’d do if I were in his position. I mean, Chanyeol has a point. He couldn’t have just come up to me and tell me that  he’s Loey. I’d never believe it. Who would?”

Minseok and Kyungsoo nod in understandment. Jongdae still seems a little upset, but eventually nods along. Baekhyun releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He thinks of Chanyeol, of what he’s doing now, of how he’s been in the brief time they didn’t get to see or talk with each other. He’s not the toughest guy out there, and just the mere thought of him crying because of  _ him  _ makes him want to cry too. 

“Baek, you love him, right?” Minseok speaks out. Baekhyun eagerly confirms it. “So, what I think is– and I’m not telling you to strictly follow it– you should give him a second chance, just like he did with you.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Jongdae interrupts, materializing Baekhyun’s own doubts. 

“I mean, don’t you think that what Chanyeol did by coming up to Baek and trying to get him to like Loey was him giving a second chance? He didn’t know Baekhyun at all, still he came up to Sweet Tooth and befriended him, instead of calling him out for his actions. He did what he thought it was for the best? It surely feels like it.” Minseok states out. 

“He’s got a point. Chanyeol doesn’t seem to have suspicious intentions or whatever either, so he sounds like a trustable guy, even though he, well, lied to you.” Kyungsoo indorses. “And honestly, Baekhyun, I’ve never seen you so happy. You deserve a great, although a little messy, love story. And if Chanyeol’s willing to give that to you, I really suggest you go for it. The guy’s plainly in love with you.”

Baekhyun looks down. Yeah, his moments with Chanyeol were the best of his life, without a single doubt. He’s been miserable for as long as he can remember, so what’s the point of holding himself back from having what he deserves and yearns so deeply? 

“I’m calling him!” 

Baekhyun vents out of the café and heads the lockers to get his stuff and go home. He opens the back door after the counter and he is suddenly facing a small woman with a mask and black clothing sitting on the corner of the locker room. He screams, startled.  

“Who are you?!” 

The girl only seems to notice his presence then, quickly standing up and bowing repeatedly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I went out to the bathrooms earlier and then I got stuck and I thought everyone had already left and my phone ran out of battery and…”

“Wow, calm down!”

“Why did you scream– oh. Who’s this?” Jongdae, Kyungsoo and Minseok storm into the small room after hearing Baekhyun scream like a freak. 

“She said she got stuck.” Baekhyun tells them, as he glances the smartphone the girl is holding. It lights up with a notification. Didn’t she just say that her phone died? Weird. 

“But the door seems to be working just fine?” Minseok points out, swinging the door back and forth. “Maybe the lock is old.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Baekhyun agrees, not really convinced. There’s something off with this girl. She’s eyeing  everywhere, looking all kinds of uncomfortable and fidgety. Baekhyun shrugs it off. He’s overthinking this. “You can go now.”

“T-thank you! I’m sorry for causing trouble! Goodbye now!” She hurries to the exit and disappears into the cold night of Seoul. 

Baekhyun arches one brow when he catches the three of his coworkers staring at him funny. “What?”

“Odd, don’t you think? How did she get stuck in there?” Jongdae inquires, same suspecting expression plastered all over his face. “The bathrooms signs are quite visible over there. How couldn’t she see it? Such a creep.”

“Well, it’s late. We can discuss it tomorrow morning.” Kyungsoo ends the topic. Facing Baekhyun, he chuckles lightly. “Now, let’s head off. I believe someone has a call to make.” 

  
  


“Good morning and welcome to Sweet Tooth Café! What can I get you–”

“Hm. I’d like a bite of this cute guy in the brown apron along with some french toast and black coffee, please.”

Baekhyun isn’t surprised when Chanyeol shows up at the café. What actually catches him off guard is the beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers his  _ boyfriend _ is holding and the most astonishing smile of the world that goes along with them. He doesn’t know if it’s because they’ve been apart for too long or if it’s the sunlight coming through the large windows of the coffee shop, but the taller is certainly glowing. 

“Doesn’t it sound incredibly sexual…” He giggles, too happy to even try to hide it. Behind him, Jongdae watches the ongoing scene with a large grin. “Oh, that’s too bad! I’m afraid we ran out of french toasts, sir. And coffee. And pretty much any other item of the menu.”

“But it’s like 10 am.” Chanyeol whines, pouting like a toddler. 

“I’m sorry, the business is going too well. Maybe we could compensate you, sir. Would you like a full size of the cute guy in the brown apron instead?” He smirks flirtily. “Since it’s the last one of the menu, we could offer you a big discount.”

“How big?”

“Is 100% good enough for you?” 

“Couldn’t be better.”

Baekhyun grabs his boyfriend by the shirt and kisses him right then and there. The other customers are whistling and clapping, and he swears he could hear Jongdae scream– not like it meant anything, since he’s always screaming around. They pull apart and smile at each other. 

“As much as our little crowd is enjoying the treat, I think we should take this to somewhere else, don’t you think,  _ Loey _ ?” He suggests, saying the last sentence a bit lower, since they still are in a public space. 

“My thoughts exactly.” 

 

Minseok lets Baekhyun make it up for that little scene with a double shift on Saturday, so now the only thing Chanyeol’s worried about it’s telling him how much he loves him and how sorry he is as well. 

“I’m done talking about what happened. Let’s move past that.” Baekhyun states as he holds Chanyeol’s hands. He was so insecure before, since the smaller haven’t talked to him for a whole week. He really thought it would be over, even if his boyfriend said that he wanted him. He’s got to the point of wondering if Baekhyun had ever meant it. “One more thing, though– and I think the both us can agree on this. No more secrets.”

“None at all. I promise.” Chanyeol crosses his heart as symbol of the honesty in his words. “Well, unless I plan to propose eventually. Then I’ll have to lie to fool you into believing that the small black box is just a watch.” 

Baekhyun laughs wholeheartedly. “So silly.”

Chanyeol holds him by the waist as they walk along the Han river. His heart is beating incredibly fast. How could he be so lucky. He can’t believe this. The taller stops and faces his boyfriend. God, he truly is the most beautiful human to ever exist. “I love you.” He blurts out.

Baekhyun glares at him and eye-smiles. “I love you too, Yeolda.” 

When they are about to kiss for the millionth time, Chanyeol’s phone rings. At first, he doesn’t pick it up, but one second later it’s ringing again persistently. Baekhyun chuckles softly and ruffles his hair. “You should get that. We have plenty of time to continue… this.” He gestures with his finger, pointing at him and then at himself. 

Chanyeol nods and answers before even checking who it’s calling. “Hello?”

“ _ Chanyeol! You have to come to my office  _ now.  _ We have a major problem. _ ”

“Sehun?” He asks, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“ _ Haven’t you checked the news yet? _ ” Sehun inquires, obviously baffled. “ _ Chanyeol, it’s fucking everywhere! _ ” Okay, that’s new. His manager can be cold and quite angry at times, but he’s never ever cursed in front of Chanyeol before. 

“What? What is everywhere?”

“ _ Loey.  _ You _ are everywhere. _ ” 

  
  


Chanyeol and Baekhyun enter Sehun’s office in SM’s building as fast as they can. As they drove to their destination, they searched the web for whatever it was that Sehun was referring to. Unfortunately, it was worse than they expected. There were a hundred different articles with blurry pictures of Loey, along with headlines such as “Is this Loey?” or “Leaked pictures of Loey’s appearance!”. 

Sehun is waiting for them at the main floor when their cab parks in front of the building. They quickly head in, avoiding the ocean of cameras that surrounds them. Gladly, Baekhyun had a spare mask and cap in his bag, so Chanyeol’s face is covered and unrecognizable. They get to the elevator and the three of them release their breaths simultaneously. What a situation. 

“How did this happened?” Chanyeol whispers.

Sehun frowns as he fixes his tie. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

The office is full with label representatives, just like their last meeting, and it freaks Chanyeol out. He’s never been this afraid of the future of his career before. It’s truly upsetting, and he guesses that Baekhyun senses his unsteadiness, therefore he holds his hands tight. 

All these suited people talk and talk and talk– but Chanyeol is numb. He doesn’t know what to say. It’s done, isn’t it? He can’t simply pretend like it didn’t happen. Everyone’s going to know who he is and he will never have his precious peace again. 

“Gentlemen, I’ll handle this situation, as always. There is no need to worry. Now, if you’d excuse me, I need to talk to him.” He hears Sehun saying, and seconds later, those men and women are gone. 

“Hey.” Baekhyun calls him, with the softest look ever. “It’s okay. Sehun will fix this.”

“I’m not sure… Oh god. Mom is calling.” Chanyeol grabs his phone and sees who’s the incoming caller. At this point, she must know everything already. He searches Sehun’s eyes for approval, getting a brief nod as confirmation. He swiftly barges out of the room. “ _ Hi, mom… _ ”

Baekhyun is left alone with Loey’s manager. An awkward silent hover around the room. What is he doing there anyways? Then, it hits him. “Do you think it was me?” Baekhyun questions Sehun, sporting one big skeptic face. “You know no matter what Chanyeol’s done, I’d never–!”

“Stop. I know it wasn’t you.”

Alright. Like that doesn’t make him even more confused. 

“And why are you so sure?”

Sehun arches one brow, a cynical stare piercing his soul. “Do you  _ want _ me to think it was you or not? Because you’re not exactly helping yourself right now.” 

“What—  _ Of course not! _ It’s just, this is not what I was expecting you to say. So, hm, do you know who did it? Who leaked the photos?”

“You see, that’s why I needed Chanyeol out of this room. A while back, when the two of you had just started going out, I told him that I wouldn’t trust you, since that’s basically my job.”  _ Fair enough _ , Baekhyun thinks, but stays still and quiet while Sehun talks. “Thus, I hired a… private detective of sorts. He was supposed to dig into your story, to know who the hell was Byun Baekhyun and what did he wanted with Chanyeol. The thing is…” Sehun glances at him with a dark look. “He wasn’t the only one following you.”

Baekhyun covers his mouth to prevent any sounds from coming out of it.  _ What the actual fuck is he talking about? _ So there was someone following him? For how long? And most importantly,  _ who is it?  _

“The detective frequented the coffee shop on a daily basis, and in one of his reports, he described a suspicious looking woman, always with a camera and a notepad by her side, that also went to the café quite often.”

“Oh my god.”

“What?” Sehun inquires. “Do you know a woman like that?”

“I actually do. I mean, I’m not sure it’s her, but… last night, we were cleaning up the café and found this girl in the lock room claiming she got stuck in there. We checked the lock of the door and stuff, but everything was working accordingly. She also said that her battery was dead, but I saw a notification come up to the screen. I’ve never seen her before, and yet she looked very familiar.”

Sehun, hearing his testimony of sorts, rushes to his drawers and seems to fetch something. He pulls out a couple of papers, which turn out to be printed screenshots of a twitter timeline. One specific thread. 

“Do you recognize this?”

How couldn’t he? His hand is trembling when he reaches to read the papers. It’s the thread that exposed him on who he is and his whereabouts. He spent weeks trying to avoid angry fangirls coming down to the café to threaten him. The only thing he was grateful for, that was oddly caused by that huge mess, was Chanyeol getting to him. Speaking of…

“What are you doing?” Chanyeol asks as he comes back into the room. His face is puffy and his eyes are mildly red. “What is it that you’re reading, Baek?”

“Well, do you remember how you got to me?”

“You mean, how I got to the café? I read about you on a Twitter thread.”

“Exactly.” Baekhyun gives him the papers. Chanyeol hesitantly takes them and mumbles some random words as he reads them. “Sehun has a theory that the same woman that exposed me online is the one who leaked your photos.” He leaves out the fact that Loey’s manager hired a detective to follow Baekhyun, because that’s probably what Sehun meant when he said he needed Chanyeol out of the room to talk about it. 

“Is she a  _ sasaeng _ ?” 

“Could be. We’re not sure. But we have evidence enough to take it to the court. I’ve already contacted Loey’s lawyers and they reporting the case this very instant. We only have to wait and see how this will proceed.” 

Chanyeol sinks down into the couch and Baekhyun sits beside him. 

“We’ll definitely win this, Chanyeol. She’ll be prosecuted, along with all the news websites that published the pictures without consentment. We’ll be fine.” Sehun states out. 

“That’s not my biggest concern, frankly. I’m worried about my privacy. My freedom. My relationship with Baekhyun. Oh god, you know how this industry works. I don’t want to hide him, for god’s sake! Not after all he’s been through.” 

Baekhyun’s heart is beating considerably faster now. Chanyeol sounds so serious about standing up for him. It makes him want to cry, somehow. 

“We’ll work it out eventually. One step at a time. First we’ll sort things out with the stalker, then we’ll schedule a meeting to discuss the particularities of your contract. I’m sure we can loosen up some items  _ if you behave. _ ” Sehun puts quite an emphasis on his last phrase. 

“Don’t worry, Mr. Oh. I’ll keep him in line.”

  
  


“ _ Solo female artist of the year… Kim Taeyeon! _ ”

_ God, where is Chanyeol?  _ Baekhyun is super fidgety on his seat right at the front, near to the idols reserved area. Loey is up next, and he’s nowhere in sight since the event started. Chanyeol had told him to go ahead with Sehun and meet him there at the Golden Disk Awards ceremony, however he never showed up. 

The MC had already announced that the solo male artists would be the next performers, so where the hell was his fucking boyfriend? He swears that when he sees him, he’ll be a dead man…

At that moment, he realizes how much they went through to get there. From a weird relationship that in no-time developed to a romance, from a big reveal and big lies to a  _ sasaeng _ scandal. He just can’t believe that girl that pretended to be stuck inside his café was actually working for Dispatch. The prosecution was truly effective and the amount of money they’ve won was enough to cover his promotions’ costs, previously unpaid since Loey’s sales weren’t going so well. However that also changed for the better. Apparently, everyone showed themselves to be way more eager to stan the idol once his true looks were exposed to the public.

Loey has hold multiple press conferences since then to promote his upcoming full album. His youtube channel hit all kinds of records as well– especially when Chanyeol decided to resume his life as a youtuber and invited Baekhyun over to record with him (most of) his videos. The fans surely went wild with that.

On the other hand, Baekhyun decided that it was never too late to follow his dreams, as cliché as it might sound– blame Chanyeol, he’s the one that made him do it. He started taking vocal lessons, courtesy of Oh Sehun, and created his own Youtube channel, posting covers and stuff. His subscribers’ mark is hitting seven million soon enough. 

Everything is fine. He is fine. And he is so grateful. Not only to Chanyeol, but to himself as well, for being able to pull it all off. All he needed was a little boost. 

“Hi, babe! Sorry I’m late!” Chanyeol arrives from behind him unexpectedly, startling Baekhyun to his bones. “How is it going so far?”

“Oh my god, Chanyeol! You  _ do _ know that you’re performing next, right? Where the hell have you been? You said you were almost here  _ one hour ago _ .” 

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” He chuckles. Chanyeol is so beautiful and fancy tonight. “I just had one little issue to solve. It’s all good now.”

“I sure hope so. Don’t come at me with more surprises.” Baekhyun whines, annoyed that Chanyeol’s smirk never seems to fade out of his stupidly handsome face. 

“Oh, but I’m sure you’re going to love this one.”

“What do you mean?” He asks, definitely intrigued. What is Chanyeol planning now?

“You’ll see.” He blinks flirtily and stands up, fixing his elegant outfit. He hears the MC calling his name and flashes a wide smile.

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun yells, but he’s got no response as he watches his boyfriend running all across the venue to get to the stage. Suddenly, everything is super dark and Baekhyun can’t see anything. 

Until one spotlight is turned on and it lightens Chanyeol’s silhouette. There is a mic stand in front of me and he holds it with both hands when a melody starts to play. Loey’s beautiful soothing voice– one that Baekhyun learned to love for the past month– fills out the place with a song he knows too well. 

He’s so in love. It’s almost ridiculous. Baekhyun giggles when he sees the idol blinking at him, while a wild crowd of fans behind him scream at the top of their lungs. Loey starts to walk across the stage after removing the mic out of its stand. His figure is shimmering and imponent, like a powerful prince. He sings like it’s nothing, like he’s just breathing– that’s how natural and beautiful it sounds. 

Baekhyun is so absorbed by that scenario that he doesn’t even notice when Chanyeol gets off of the stage and comes towards him. Another spotlight flashes and Baekhyun is surprised, but not so much, when he’s the one under its light. He covers his mouth like a habit and the hand that was behind Loey’s back is now standing right in front of him, offering a mic. 

He can’t say no. Mostly because it would be a total embarrassment for Chanyeol to get rejected by his own boyfriend on national television, but it’s also because he knows that this song is dedicated to him. That Chanyeol composed it thinking about him. Baekhyun even helped with the lyrics. This… This is meant to be. 

He grabs the mic and stands up, getting cheered up by the fans and idols surrounding them. He knows the lyrics by heart, he knows the melody and he knows it has to be  _ perfect _ .

“ _ Tonight it feels like I won’t be able to sleep _

_ But I never knew it would feel this nice _

_ Especially when I’m able to spend time _

_ Imagining you, yeah _

_ We talk all night long _

_ Asking about how each others days were _

_ And when you say this is the best part _

_ I shine even brighter thanks to you.” _

It’s funny. Baekhyun spent basically all his life dreaming about a moment like this and he’s not even a little nervous. It’s like his heart is finally at peace. Guess that’s Chanyeol’s effect on him. They’re facing each other, singing to each other. He can’t help when his eyes glisten with happy tears. The next verse, Loey stops singing and Baekhyun’s amazing voice is the only sound that runs through the venue. 

_ “Sometimes I think _

_ When I see you laughing brightly _

_ That your eyes and lips and everything else _

_ Seem to look like me _

_ It’s like your pitch black eyes take in my light _

_ And shine just as brightly as I do _

_ Sometimes I see myself when I look at you.” _

Chanyeol smiles at him and the starts rapping. It’s like he incorporates another persona. It’s truthfully incredible to watch. He has the most steady flow and his voice is just perfect to listen to. That’s when Baekhyun realizes. He’s the one. He can’t understand why he didn’t see it before. It’s always been as clear as the light. 

_ “Every single day I’m looking after you _

_ And you’re looking at me _

_ And like a mirror every expression _

_ Aven the way you speak, feels like it’s me _

_ Bit by bit you and I are becoming one _

_ Wondering what I seem like in your world _

_ Like a habit, I find myself in your eyes _

_ The night grows late as I stare at you _

_ And I want to stop time _

_ To keep you in my eyes even longer, for me.” _

Chanyeol takes care of him. He makes him feel unique even when he starts to wonder if everything will ever turn out alright. He treats Baekhyun like he’s some kind of god when they make love, paying a special attention to each and every little part of his body. Every date is a new adventure, it’s like getting to know him all over again. It’s not always easy though, especially with a relationship out in the open– the troubles can be inevitable. But somehow, they always get past them. They’ve fought before, but they talk and talk until the issue is solved. They are best friends, wild lovers, and forever partners. That’s why when the last verse comes up, Baekhyun knows that he’s never meant anything so bad like he means it when he sings it, staring right into Chanyeol’s loving eyes. 

_ Love you.  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
